


Billowing Bloom

by Shiny_the_Strange



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Chance Meetings, College AU, Dramedy, F/F, Modern AU, Romantic Comedy, Sexual Tension, [Ike voice] prepare yourself, be warned that there is drama esp towards the end, episodic, sexual fantasies, tags to be updated as the fic goes, this is really fucking cheesy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-06-01 22:58:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6540064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shiny_the_Strange/pseuds/Shiny_the_Strange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a chance encounter at a bus stop, Hinoka finds herself hopelessly infatuated with the beautiful Camilla.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegadgetfish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegadgetfish/gifts).



> This fic was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but with the way I wrote what I have I thought it'd be better to turn it into a multi-chapter fic. 
> 
> This for an art/fic trade with thegadgetfish on tumblr. The request was "the fic format where it's short drabbles spanning a small range of time [...] snapshots of Camilla flirting with Hinoka, and then maybe Hinoka awkwardly flirting back, or being receptive of it". I did want to keep this short and to one chapter, but as the saying goes, stories write themselves and this one demanded greater detail. I hope this is suitable!
> 
> I should have the second chapter up fairly soon, probably sometime tonight or early tomorrow, since it's pretty close to completion. There will probably be five or so chapters that (hopefully) won't be too long! The first chapter here is more of a short prelude for what's to come.
> 
> As always, this is cross posted to [ff.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11893789/1/Billowing-Bloom). Enjoy!

“Thank you for coming with me to the shuttle stop today…” A long line of people stood in front of Hinoka and Setsuna, the person at the front standing next to a sign. The bus stop was one of many that stood directly outside of the central campus building. Snow and ice coated the sidewalk and road.

“Uh, yeah, no problem,” said Hinoka. She sighed as she pat Setsuna’s shoulder. “Stupid snow, making everything slow. I think Azama knew it would take too much time to get here, so that's probably why he decided to go directly to the other campus. I hate this country during winter…I’m just glad he told me he wouldn’t be able to make it, otherwise you’d miss the shuttle again.”

“Yeah…” Setsuna yawned, the wind blowing snowflakes into her hair. “He’s so nice, always coming with me to the shuttle.”

“I’ll say, given how much of a jerk he usually is,” said Hinoka.

“That’s so sweet of you to say…” said Setsuna, her lips curving into a smile.

Hinoka brought a hand to her forehead. “Setsuna, I’m not being nice.”

“Yes you are. You’re here with me at the shuttle stop.”

Hinoka groaned. “T-That’s not what I’m talking about! I mean—”

The shuttle bus rolled up to the curb and opened its doors.

“Looks like we got here just in time,” said Hinoka, watching as the people in front of Setsuna and herself get on the bus. “Let’s go!”

Setsuna wobbled as she made her way towards the bus. Hinoka walked alongside her, arm out to catch her in case she slipped while getting on the bus. Hobbling up into the bus, Setsuna showed her student ID to the driver.

“You alright from here on out?” asked Hinoka.

“Yeah…” Setsuna turned and nodded. “See you later, Hinoka.”

“See you!” Hinoka stepped away from the bus, watching its doors close. As the bus began to move, she headed back towards to the central building. She hoped that Setsuna would be okay until she reached the other campus, where Azama would (hopefully) be waiting.

“Wait! Wait!” shouted a voice.

Hinoka turned to where the cries came from. A lilac-haired woman quickly walked towards her. Was she late for the bus?

“Hold on a second!” cried Hinoka, turning and running alongside the bus as it moved further down the road.

The bus slowed down, sending snow from the road onto Hinoka’s pants. As Hinoka stopped, her feet failed to stop with her. Sliding on the ice, the ground moved closer to her face at breakneck speed—

Someone gripped Hinoka’s wrist. Staring at the ice that sat about an inch in front of her, Hinoka began to breathe faster. The hand tugged her back onto her feet before letting go.

“Are you alright?” asked a voice.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you—” Hinoka stopped as she turned to face her savior. It was the woman who came towards Hinoka before she hailed the bus. The woman’s presumably-dyed hair was long and wavy, covering her face slightly. Her face looked smooth and free of blemishes; Hinoka thought that it complimented its soft appearance. Snowflakes sat all over her body, including her ebony leather jacket. The woman’s breasts seemed to fit snugly within the coat, despite their rather large size. There was something of a lavender scent in the air.

Hinoka then realized that she’d been staring for a minute.

The woman didn’t seem to mind. Her eyes locked with Hinoka’s, their violet colour and intense stare momentarily making Hinoka’s heart stop.

Hinoka had to steady herself to prevent herself from falling once more as she tore her gaze away. “T-Thank you very much.”

The woman smiled as she turned and entered the bus. “No, thank _you_.”

As the bus closed and drove off, Hinoka realized how quick her heart was beating. Though it didn’t take long for her heart to slow, it was much harder to keep her mind off of the woman throughout the rest of the day.

 _Maybe I should take Setsuna to the bus more often_ , she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun shined across the cloudless sky as Hinoka wandered in the direction of the university’s entrance. Bundled in winter gear from head to toe, Hinoka shivered as she crossed the road. March had just begun and there was hopefully only one month left of this cold horseshit, she kept reminding herself. Soon she would be able to go for outdoor runs again, provided that the end-year workload didn’t keep her too busy. Being an upper-year student could be such a hassle.

“You there! You look cold! How about a nice, hot drink?”

Hinoka turned to see a red-haired woman behind a stand. Hanging from the top of the stand was a sign that said “Hot chocolate – $2 small, $3 medium, $4 large”; on the counter in front of the woman sat several kettles and cups of various sizes.

“Sure,” said Hinoka. She walked over to the counter and pulled her scarf down. “But…isn’t it a bit much for street hot chocolate?”

“Trust me, my hot chocolate is worth the price,” said the saleswoman. “Go ahead, smell it. Once you do, you’ll be thankful that the only vendor nearby is me.”

Leaning in, Hinoka sniffed the kettle. The scent of cocoa powder and steam upon her lips made her mouth water. “I guess that makes sense. Could I get a small?”

“Absolutely!” The woman took a small cup and poured the hot chocolate inside. “That’ll be two dollars!”

Hinoka took her wallet out of her coat pocket and opened it; nothing but a picture of her family and a worn debit card was inside. Feeling around the rest of her pockets, Hinoka realized she had no change.

“Something the matter?” asked the saleswoman.

“No, no!” Hinoka looked to her feet. “But…do you take debit?”

 “No, unfortunately.” The saleswomen frowned. She averted her gaze as she seemingly stared into space. Her voice was low. “Not since the dragon girl…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” the saleswoman quickly said.

Hinoka furrowed her brow, then shook her head. “Sorry, miss, but it seems like I’m out of change. Maybe next time.”

“I’d like a small,” said a voice. “And I’m paying for this woman’s drink, too.”

“Huh?” Hinoka spun around and took a sharp breath.

The woman from the shuttle bus stood in front of her. She smiled at Hinoka as she pulled a five-dollar bill from her pocket.

Was she seeing things? Despite their brief and nameless meeting, Hinoka couldn’t keep the woman out of her mind. “What an awful time of the year to get a crush on a random person,” she once said to herself. The woman frequently appeared in Hinoka’s thoughts at the most inappropriate times. It was embarrassing, to think that the woman had crossed Hinoka’s mind while showering, bathing, and lying in bed at night. While in these situations, the woman often appeared wearing only a seductive grin. She would lay beneath Hinoka, panting as she pressed their bodies together and brought her lips to Hinoka’s to close the remaining distance between them. Hinoka tried to ignore her quickening heart and the growing feeling of warmth below; she knew _nothing_ about this woman.

And yet here she was, standing right in front of Hinoka, fully bound in her leather jacket.

“T-That’s not necessary, miss,” Hinoka croaked, keeping her gaze as far away from the woman as much as possible.

“Please, call me Camilla,” she said. She leaned past Hinoka, gave the shopkeeper the five-dollar bill. The shopkeeper handed Camilla her change.

Hinoka sighed. “I’m…Hinoka.”

“Such a beautiful name.”

Hinoka’s stomach fluttered. “Actually, I thought it was more warrior-like than beautiful.”

“So? A warrior can be beautiful as well,” said Camilla.

“I…suppose you’re right. Huh.” Hinoka sincerely hoped that her cheeks didn’t appear as hot as they felt.

Camilla giggled as she held the change out to Hinoka. “I’d like you to have this, too.”

“I can’t take your money,” said Hinoka. “All I did was forget my change, I’m not _that_ tight.”

“I insist,” said Camilla. “If I remember correctly, you’re that woman who stopped the shuttle for me last week, right?”

“Yeah, but…” So she remembered her as well. Hinoka slowly reached out and took the change from Camilla, pocketing it. _Damn it, why’d I do that?_

“You’re so red,” said Camilla. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. I’m just a little cold.” Damn it.

“I’ve got the perfect remedy right here,” said the shopkeeper. Two steaming cups of hot chocolate sat on the stand.

Hinoka reached out and took one. “Right. Thanks.”

“Have a nice day!”

Camilla grabbed her own hot chocolate and took a sip. She looked at Hinoka and winked.

Keeping her eyes off of Camilla, Hinoka took a sip of her hit chocolate. Her body instantly warmed as the drink’s sweet flavor tickled her tongue. “Thankyouverymuchforthedrink.”

Camilla hummed as she walked past Hinoka. “If you’re not busy, I would like it very much if you walked with me.”

Hinoka was glad that her cup wasn’t currently touching her lips. “W-What?”

“Let’s walk together,” Camilla repeated.

Hinoka felt her heart beat even faster. “Sure.”

They walked slowly as they nursed their drinks. The sidewalk they moved upon was long, the end reasonably far off in the distance. It ended just inside the university’s entrance, where no students were appeared to be presently walking. A tall, wooden fence lined the left side of the path, while the road adorned the right side. Cars zoomed back and forth, driving snow into the air.

Hinoka’s heart continued to thump with no signs of slowing down. Whether it was from Camilla’s presence, exercise, or both, Hinoka wasn’t sure. With how Camilla acted in her fantasies, she almost expected Camilla to move closer, to lace their fingers together and hold each other’s hands. Hinoka was tempted to reach over and clasp Camilla’s hand herself.

Camilla let out a low chuckle. “I greatly appreciate you stopping the bus for me that time, dear.”

 _Dear_. Hinoka wondered if that was something Camilla said to everyone. Somehow, it seemed…fitting.

“N-Not a problem,” said Hinoka.

“Missing it would’ve been bad. Have you ever had Dr. Iago?”

“Actually, I have,” said Hinoka. She figured she might as well attempt to chat. “What a creep that guy is. I didn’t take one of my gen ed courses, so I’m making it up by taking general European History with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

A grin spread across Camilla’s face as her cheeks took on a rosy hue. “As a matter of fact, I did the same thing. I too have European History with Dr. Iago, though obviously not in the same section.”

“That’s neat.” Hinoka took a sip of her drink. “I only barely got into the class on this campus. I think I was the last one, actually.”

“That’s a shame,” said Camilla. “If we had class together, we could’ve properly met by now.”

“Oh, I would’ve really liked that!” said Hinoka. Wait, was that too cheerful? “I mean, it would’ve been, uh, neat to know you before now. We could sit next to each other and date— I mean, write dates! Um…”

Camilla laughed. “I think I would’ve enjoyed it as much as you. There’s something about you that I find…extremely sweet.”

Hinoka felt her heart flutter. “I-I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Just roll with it, darling.” Camilla’s face had gotten even redder. Was it the chill of the air, or…?

As they walked, they discussed their other classes and place within the university. Camilla was in the same year as Hinoka, though she had previously taken an extra year in high school. “I wanted to stay and take care of my younger friends for another year before being forced to graduate,” she said. Before long the conversation turned to other topics. Both learned that they resided in the same city and commuted to the university from the opposite sides. Hinoka learned that Camilla had a similar family structure to her own; both had an older brother and a younger brother and sister. They came to realize that their siblings had similar vocations to one another, such as their younger sisters’ interest in music. Hinoka wondered if she too had similarities like that with Camilla.

“So, what do you enjoy doing?” asked Camilla, seemingly having read Hinoka’s mind.

“I like keeping fit,” said Hinoka. “When it’s nice outside, I like to go for runs. I used to ride horses a lot when I was younger, and still do whenever I can. And when it’s too cold or hot or I just don’t feel like exercising outside, I go to the gym.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Camilla’s face went scarlet once again. “I ride horses as well.”

“Really? That’s so…fun! Uh, I mean, great!” Hinoka laughed quickly. “Do you ever go Sumia’s Stables to ride?”

“I haven’t actually. My family owns some horses.”

“A-Ah…”

“Well, I also like to work out in general. Do you know Vaike’s Gym?”

“Do I? That’s where I go!” Hinoka found herself moving slightly closer to Camilla. “Does this mean…”

Camilla responded by moving closer herself. She looked behind herself for a moment and scowled, then turned back to Hinoka and smiled. “Yes, it does. I too go to Vaike’s Gym.”

“I knew it!” Pumping a fist into the air, Hinoka laughed. “How is it that we’ve never run into each other?”

“Maybe we have, and we just haven’t noticed each other,” said Camilla. The grin that appeared on her face made Hinoka want to embrace her. “But I find it hard to believe that I’d go so long without talking to someone as lovely as you, if we ever did go to the gym at the same time.”

“Oh...” This was unreal. Did Camilla lavish praise like this on others? Probably, Hinoka thought. “Am I really that…lovely?”

“Of course,” said Camilla.

Taking another sip of her hot chocolate, Hinoka felt her chest warm. It was hard to imagine being referred to as lovely when it seemed that so few people glanced in Hinoka’s direction; the only time they would ever do so was when Hinoka unintentionally raised her voice while complaining. When was the last time she had been called lovely? It was difficult to remember. She certainly hadn’t been called as such by an attractive woman, let alone by anyone Hinoka had felt attracted to in the past. Perhaps only her family had called her lovely. She whispered, “W-Well, you’re extremely lovely too.”

“What was that?”

“I—nothing.” Hinoka’s eyes moved to Camilla’s lips. A mild pink lipstick lined them, though its shade was slightly deeper on the bottom lip. She tried to imagine what it’d be like to bring her own chapped and plain lips to Camilla’s. Would her kisses be soft and warm? Did she use lots of tongue? It had been too long since Hinoka had last kissed anyone.

Camilla sighed. “Would you look at that, we’re already inside the university.”

Hinoka glanced around at her surroundings. Sure enough, she and Camilla had entered the university grounds. The path split into two, one diverging to the left and the other to the right. Hinoka began to walk to the right.

“I can’t continue walking with you, unfortunately, if you’re going that way,” said Camilla. “There’s something I need to attend to, and I need to go the other way.”

“Oh…okay.” Hinoka felt her heart sink. “It was nice chatting with you. See you around.”

“Hold on.”

As she turned to leave, Hinoka felt Camilla’s hand on her shoulder.

“What’s with the hasty exit? Don’t you want to say goodbye properly?”

Hinoka turned back to Camilla and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, I’m just…yeah. T-Thanks for the hot chocolate and the dollar. And for the compliments. And for walking with me. I…uh…really appreciated your company. And you, for being so nice.”

Camilla smiled warmly as she moved closer to Hinoka. She looked as if she was about to lean in, but stopped. “That’s more like it. I enjoyed spending time with you too, Hinoka.”

“Yeah…” Hinoka raised her cup to Camilla. “May you do well on your exams.”

Camilla laughed as she bumped her own cup to Hinoka’s. She held her free hand out.

Hinoka took Camilla’s hand and shook it. She was thankful that her sweat-covered hands were clad in mittens. “So, uh…I’ll see you around?”

“I hope so. Enjoy the rest of your day,” said Camilla, letting Hinoka’s hand go and grinning as she began to walk in the other direction. She turned momentarily. “Also, I’d watch your back if I were you. A sinister looking man walking behind us has been matching our pace.”

Hinoka slowly turned around and squinted. A man with spiky brown hair was quickly approaching. His shit-eating grin was familiar, Hinoka realized. Looking to her right, Hinoka found that Camilla had already walked a considerable distance. She turned back to the man and scowled. “Of course it had to be you.”

“Good afternoon, Hinoka!” said the man as he approached her. “Have you finally entered your cocoon stage?”

Groaning, Hinoka took her hat off and threw it at him. “Can’t I dress for the weather without you making some ridiculous and insulting remark?”

The man handed the hat back to Hinoka. “Of course you can. But then you’ll be cold and I’ll be laughing at how inappropriately you’re dressed for the temperature.”

Taking her hat back, Hinoka grimaced. “God, Azama! Don’t you have better things to do than to piss people off? That woman I was walking with noticed you!”

“As she should,” said Azama. “It is of upmost importance to observe your surroundings as much as possible. Something you need to work on.”

“Hey, nobody can keep an eye on everything all at once!” said Hinoka. “And—wait a minute! Normally you’re on the shuttle with Setsuna. Does that woman – Camilla – normally ride with you?”

“In fact, she does. She’s on the shuttle every time Setsuna and I ride on Wednesday.”

“Then she probably thinks you’re stalking her, you dastard!”

“Well then, you can tell her the truth about me!” Azama glanced around. “Other riders whisper about her kindness to her friends, her family…and her coldness and ruthlessness to just about everyone else.”

“She’s…cold?” Hinoka raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I just properly met her now, and I didn’t get that impression…” She raised her cup to her mouth to gulp the rest of her now-lukewarm hot chocolate.

Azama chuckled. “Well, there’s always the chance that she was putting the moves on you. But I don’t see why she would, given the state of your—”

Hinoka spat her mouth’s contents onto Azama’s coat. She felt a mild tug in her groin as she tried to process what she’d just heard. “W-What?”

“How rude! Now you’ve got me dirty, and you’ve acted disgusting in front of the object of your affections!” said Azama, clicking his tongue.

“What are you—” Hinoka looked to her left.

In the distance, Camilla was staring at Hinoka and Azama.

Hinoka motioned her hand, hoping Camilla would understand and continue walking. She appeared to hesitate before turning and walking off.

“Well, what do you think?”

Hinoka tried to ignore her rapid heartbeat. “I think…it’s too early to tell.”

“I only say it because it could be possible. From what I’ve heard, it seems she’s been single for quite a while,” said Azama. He scratched his chin. “And there’s a rumor that she enjoys women just as much as she enjoys men, concerning matters beneath the sheets…hmm…”

“S-Stop!” cried Hinoka. “Maybe she acts like that to everyone, we don’t know!”

“This is true,” said Azama. “Rumors are often just rumors, after all. But they’re so fun!”

Music began to play, seemingly out of nowhere. Azama reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“…Rumor or not, please tell me you’re serious,” said Hinoka.

“You should know by now that I rarely lie about these matters. Then again, I was always the smart one.” He brought the phone to his ear. “Ah, Setsuna! Good afternoon! Have you finally started on the—what do you mean, you haven’t started? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as the last time you did this you—yes, I’ll be there soon, once I’ve finished talking to a certain busybody. Someone finally finds her attractive! It’s probably the hat, covering her awful hair.”

“I can’t believe she actually fell for you,” grumbled Hinoka. Seeing the phone in Azama’s hand, she hit a realization. _Damn it, I should’ve asked for Camilla’s number!_


	3. Concert Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmaoooo this chapter was really fun to write. Because the storyline is kinda long I decided to make this one TWO chapters. Since I know what I'm gonna write for the next chapter, hopefully that one'll come soon. Please note the change in the rating; though the fic as a whole shouldn't go above a M rating, I do think there's gonna be an E rated chapter at some point. It'll be marked through an author's note, though! It's 4am and the grammar might be a little weird, but I'll fix that ASAP.
> 
> Enjoy!

Several days later, the temperature rose. With the snow mostly melted, puddles sat alongside the road as children stomped in them, soaking everything in the nearby vicinity.

Putting her earbuds in her ear and her phone in her vest pocket, Hinoka rounded the corner and made her way to the sidewalk. Her sweatpants were slightly stained with mud as she slogged past Kagero’s house. Water dripped out the rain gutter as Hinoka made it to the sidewalk and proceeded to jog.

A short way down the sidewalk, Orochi was in Hinoka’s path. In one of her hands was a small black bag. With her other hand, she waved.

“Oh! Hey, Orochi.” Hinoka waved back before stopping in front of Orochi.

Orochi grinned. “Hello, Hinoka! Where are you running off to today?”

“I’m going to a concert! It’s near the gym, next to that store clothing store Oboro works at. Thought I’d run, since it’s finally somewhat nice out.”

“Your favourite gym?” Orochi giggled. “If you stop into Oboro’s store, say hello for me!”

“If I do, I will! Hinoka moved to Orochi’s side. “Are you off to see Kagero?”

“Why yes, I am! She left something of hers at my house the other day, and I’m going to return it.”

Hinoka peered inside Orochi’s bag. There was something pastel blue, something frilly, something in two pieces. One piece had two, breast-like cups facing upwards. “Is that—”

“H-Hey, don’t look in there!” said Orochi, stepping back from Hinoka. “I’m in a little bit of a rush, and I’m sure you don’t want to be late for your concert. I think we should go to where we’re headed now.”

“R-Right. Sorry. See you.”

Hinoka ran past Orochi until she was certain that she’d run far enough away. Before long, she slowed into a steady jog. Despite the distance of the venue, the day was too warm to waste the commute by taking a bus or driving. The wind brushed against Hinoka’s face as she continued down the sidewalk and exited her neighbourhood.

After running a reasonable distance, Hinoka approached the neighbourhood of Nohr. With a reputation as poor as most of its inhabitants, it made up a considerable part of the city’s west side. The cracked sign and barren lawns at its entrance that sunk as Hinoka traversed upon it always made her stomach clench. Just how could someone willingly live in such a run-down place _,_ she thought. She remembered a classmate telling her that he’d been mugged while passing through; as a result, she vowed to never go through the neighbourhood unless it was absolutely necessary.

Hinoka increased her speed and made to pass it as fast as she could.

Shortly after passing, Hinoka’s ringtone rang through her earbuds. She clicked the control device beneath one of the buds. “Hello?”

“Hey, Hinoka! Glad I could catch you!” Kaden said.

“Oh, hey Kaden. What’s up?”

“Um, you know how I missed last week’s lecture? Could I get some notes from you sometime in the next couple of weeks, please?”

“Yeah, sure!” Hinoka approached a dead-end street and crossed, turning to jog down the left side.

“Awesome, thanks!”

“No problem! And seriously, this time I don’t want you to pay me back—” As Hinoka got closer to the next road, a motorcycle zoomed past. The wind it kicked up blew across her face and made Hinoka shiver.

Watching as the bike zipped ahead, Hinoka noticed that the rider had lilac hair sticking out the back of their helmet.

Hinoka’s heart momentarily stopped. During their previous chat, Camilla had told Hinoka that she owned a motorcycle. The thought of Camilla riding a motorcycle filled Hinoka’s chest with pleasure. She felt a slight twitch between her legs. Could it have been Camilla?

“Hey, Hinoka? Buddy? You still there?”

“Sorry, Kaden, I’m on my way somewhere. I’ll call you back later.” They exchanged goodbyes and Hinoka hung up.

As she continued down the road, Hinoka considered the direction she’d seen the cyclist come from. The Nohr neighbourhood was somewhat close to the edge of the city, and Camilla said that she lived in the west side. Was it possible that Camilla was Nohrian? Was she one of the richer residents or did she take loans out to go to university? Did she live well? Hinoka’s heart began to ache as she stopped at the next light.

A bicycle rolled up next to Hinoka. As she glanced at it, she realized that there were three seats on it, a rider on each. At the front was a blond-haired man with an excited grin, a pretty and flustered blond teenager wearing a backpack in the middle, and a white-haired (or perhaps very light blond; he looked rather young to have natural white hair) man with a smirk at the back.

“By the sword of Eliwood, we’re losing!” cried the man at the front. “Faster, noble iron steed! Take us into the city’s heart and yonder!”

“We’re not going to win, we’re on a tandem bike,” said the teen, raising a hand to his face and groaning.

“Not with that attitude,” said the back man. He pointed towards to sidewalk going to the right of the road in front of them. “We’re on a sidewalk. We can beat out the traffic, and if we turn onto that road ahead we can get past the universe’s longest stoplight. If we go fast enough, we’ll be there before she has a chance to get to the bike lane!”

“…I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that.” The teen shook his head. “Fine. We’ll try it. I don’t even care about this stupid ‘race’. For the last time, the only reason I’m trying to get there as quickly as possible is to be with my sister! We’re only going separately because of you, and furthermore…” The teen’s voice slowly became inaudible as the light became green and the bike went to the other side of the road. It rounded the corner and rode off into the other direction.

 _What a bunch of weirdos_ , thought Hinoka. She crossed the road and continued forward.

A few blocks later, Hinoka neared the road the men described as having the universe’s longest stoplight. Though it was an obvious exaggeration, the stoplight _was_ one of the city’s longest, due to the road needing to be crossed being a common traffic area while the road Hinoka traveled along was less of one.

Hinoka checked her phone; the concert’s first band had begun, though thankfully the venue was only a block away. The band she was most interested in was the second opening band for a far more popular band, so there was still some time.

Eventually, the light was about to turn. Hinoka stepped forward in anticipation.

“…I told you! So much for your shortcut! Look, there’s that jogger we passed!” shouted a voice.

Quickly turning, Hinoka saw the tandem bike heading straight for her.

“Watch out!” said the man at the front.

Hinoka dodged to her left; the bike went the same way. A sharp pain ran through Hinoka’s body as the bike bumped her leg and she fell to the ground, the side of her other leg skidding across the dusty concrete. She pushed herself onto her side to see that the bike had fallen over, its riders lying in the mud.

The man that previously sat on the back of the bike began to laugh.

“Great. Look at this mess the two of you have gotten me into. I wanted to take the bus but noooo, we _had_ to try the tandem bike out,” said the teen. “Quit your snickering, Niles.”

The smirk of the man grew wider. “Sorry, Leo, but Odin and I thought you should get some exercise for once.”

“Yeah, sitting inside and reading all day is bad for your health!” said Odin, the front man.

“I ride horses every week, that counts as exercise,” said Leo. He snorted. “And reading is not bad for your health. If I were watching cartoons or writing fanfic as often as you do, that would be a different story.”

“Did you not just spend nearly a month doing nothing but writing?” said Niles.

“That was different.”

“E-Excuse me,” said Hinoka.  She pushed herself onto her feet. “Why didn’t you slow down? That could’ve been much worse!”

The men stood and faced Hinoka.

Niles snorted. “We were trying to cross the road before the light went red again. And now we have to wait. Why didn’t you get out of the way?”

Hinoka twisted her body to look at the light. It was now red once more. She turned back and grimaced. “H-Hey, I’m not the only one to blame here! Both of us moved away from the traffic!”

“Let’s not play the blame game,” said Leo, wiping the mud from his face. “It’s not going to solve anything. Does anyone have any bandages?”

Hinoka shook her head. “I’ve got nothing. Are you sure you need any, though? You look fine to me.”

“I don’t, but you shouldn’t assume things like that.” Leo pointed at Hinoka’s leg. “I wasn’t asking for me; I was asking for you.”

Eyes moving to her leg, Hinoka cursed. Part of her sweatpants had torn, the fleshy area beneath scratched raw as blood trickled down. She winced as she touched it at its wet, bloody core. “Ugh!”

“Hey, don’t you have a first aid kit in your backpack?” asked Odin. “In the deepest reaches of your satchel, you may find the holy patch of staving!”

“Give it a rest, Odin,” said Leo, sighing. “I haven’t replaced my first-aid kit since last week, when Arthur rolled down the hill and hit the tree and got attacked by that falcon. However, now that you mention it, I think I have something that might help.” Taking his backpack off and rummaging through, he pulled out a ball of socks. “Don’t worry, they’re clean.”

“Socks?” Hinoka frowned. “No thanks, I can take it. My destination isn’t far.”

Clicking his tongue, Leo shook his head. “My sister insisted that I bring these with me today in case my current socks get wet. Now they actually are soaked, thanks to that fall. But as disgusting as my feet feel right now, it’s not good to jog while you’ve got blood coming out of you. So take them.” Leo tossed the socks.

Hinoka caught the socks and stared at them. They smelled of lavender, she realized, as she took them apart. It was similar to what she smelled when she met Camilla at the bus stop. She wondered if Camilla would do the same for her siblings; she imagined Camilla sneaking a pair into her younger brother’s backpack before silently hoping he would have a good day. Camilla’s hands would smell of perfume; perfume she sprayed in anticipation for a special someone, perhaps. The thought made Hinoka’s heart beat a little faster.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to wear them after all.

“Are you going to put them on or not?” said Leo.

“Of course! Just give me a second!” Hinoka felt her cheeks heat up. She quickly tied the socks around the bleeding spot and nodded. “Thank you. But are you sure you don’t want these?”

“It’s fine. You’ve already wrapped them around yourself.”

Hinoka looked at her sock-covered leg. A faint red patch was already present. “R-Right…”

“Besides, there’s a clothing store next to where I’m going.”

“How convenient.” Suddenly it was as if a brick had been dropped on Hinoka’s head. “Hold on, the closest store is next to Cyrkensia Hall! Are you going to the concert?”

Leo’s eyes widened slightly. “The Radiant Dawn concert, you mean?”

“Yeah! Though I’ll admit, I much prefer the band before them,” said Hinoka. “But yeah, that’s where I’m going.”

“I see.” Leo chuckled. “What a coincidence. That’s where we’re headed, too.”

The light turned green.

“We should walk together,” said Niles. “By the time we get back on the bike and in sync, the light will probably be red again.”

“Forward! Our speed must be greater than Hermes and Sonic the Hedgehog combined!” Odin raced across the road. Niles took the bike and began to walk across.

Leo groaned as he began to walk forward. “Those two are going to be the death of me someday. It’s not far, so I suppose you can come with us. If you want, that is.”

“Might as well.” Hinoka went with Leo as they made it to the other side of the street and continued on their route. “I’m Hinoka, by the way.”

“Hinoka?” Leo raised an eyebrow. “Why do I get the feeling I’ve heard that name before?”

“Dunno,” said Hinoka. “As far as I know, we’ve never meet before, so it must be your imagination.”

“Hm. Perhaps it is. Or maybe I’ve heard your name while travelling locally. There aren’t many Hinokas in this city, after all.”

“I guess that’s true…” Hinoka’s face warmed.

“Anyway, I’m Leo.” He nodded at Odin and Niles.  “And those two are Niles and Odin. Don’t pay them any mind.”

Niles turned and stared at Leo with mock derision. “How rude. I thought we were friends.”

“Lord Leo just wants to look good in front of a lady!” said Odin.

“His teenage hormones are out of control,” said Niles.

“I promise you that is _not_ my intention,” said Leo, a blush spreading across his face. “As I said, pay them no mind.”

Hinoka blinked. Sure, he was slender and pretty, but there was no way she’d let some hormone-addled teen put the moves on her. “O…kay then. I would hope not, since I’m an adult. But… _Lord_ Leo?”

Leo’s face reddened further. “This is what I mean.”

“Sorry. So…where’d you get the bike?” asked Hinoka.

Leo’s face relaxed. “The bike belongs to my sister, actually. You’d have to ask her. I can introduce you, if you’d like.”

“Sure, why not?”

The group continued along, chatting idly. It wasn’t long before Cyrkensia Hall was in view; everyone moved slightly faster to reach the entrance. Outside of it was a billboard that read “Radiant Dawn” in large letters; beneath it in smaller letters read “Woleb Tsap”; beneath that in even smaller letters was “Sacred Stones”.  

“I heard that the fans of Sacred Stones are called Sacred Stoners,” said Niles. “Hey, you know what band was great? The Shepherds. It’s a shame that they had to break up.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of them! What happened?” asked Hinoka.

“You don’t know?” Leo’s mouth opened, then closed. “I figured it was common knowledge at this point.”

Odin smiled nervously. “I’m gonna let Leo and Niles tell you. I’m going in, see ya!” And with that, Odin entered the building.

“I…can’t claim to understand why, but for some reason Odin really doesn’t like this story,” said Leo. “Anyway. The Shepherds were an extremely popular band several years back, as you know. Their reign was cut short after a concert where one of the most important members was heckled by someone in the audience, leading her to fall off the tall stage and die. They broke up after that.”

“Yikes.” Hinoka averted her gaze. “I’m sorry that I even brought it up. Let’s just go inside.”

After entering the concert hall, Hinoka, Leo, and Niles presented their tickets to the attendant and proceeded to the performance area. An upbeat rock song sounded throughout. There was a portion of the floor that dipped below the stage with no seating; it was the only spot Hinoka could afford. Despite its cheapness, she told herself that being able to move freely allowed her to get her energy out. As it turned out, Leo and his gang had purchased the same type of ticket. They maneuvered through the sweaty crowd and got a look at the current performers.

On stage were three band members. There were two members with striking blue hair, including a man on the drums and a woman on the guitar.

In the middle was a man with long lavender hair working at a bass, singing in addition to playing.

Hinoka wondered if he was the one to pass her on the motorcycle. She felt her heart sink. _If it was, the band must’ve started late…_

“Looks like that first band is still on,” said Niles.

“They actually don’t seem too bad so far,” said Leo. “Now, where’s Odin?”

Right on cue, Odin seemingly materialized in front of Hinoka.

“There you are,” said Leo. He took his phone out of his pocket and tapped at it.

“I’m here!” Odin put a hand on his waist and struck a pose. “You know, this band’s pretty good! I think they’re playing a cover of a really great song, but I don’t remember who original played it! Doooo, do do dooooo do, do do do dooo, dooo…”

Hinoka turned to Leo. “Oh yeah, are you going to meet up with your sister now?”

“I am,” said Leo. Pocketing his phone, he raised his hand and motioned his fingers. “Come with me so you can meet.”

Hinoka followed Leo. As they pushed through the crowd, Hinoka tried to envision what Leo’s sister might look like. She was probably blonde and extremely beautiful; if Leo was pretty enough, then she _had_ to be absolutely stunning. Was she young? The same age as Leo? Significantly older?  Regardless, if Leo wanted to introduce them, then he must’ve seen _something_ similar between the two of them. It was difficult to imagine what sort of woman Hinoka was about to encounter.

“Hey, Hinoka, I know it’s dark in here but try to look for someone with long, lavender— ack!”

Before Hinoka could respond, Leo had disappeared. The light glinted on his hair as Hinoka found that he’d been yanked to the side.

“Hey, who did that?” Hinoka clenched her jaw as she looked in the direction of Leo’s abduction.

The lighting and surrounding audience made it difficult to tell who it was, though Hinoka could make out a woman pulling Leo to her chest. She was bizarrely familiar; Hinoka’s heart began to beat faster.

The woman’s voice was barely audible over the music. “Long lavender hair? You’ll have to specify whether you mean me or the vocalist, darling brother.”

Hinoka felt a jolt up her spine; that voice!

Leo stepped away from the woman. “You know what I meant, Camilla.”

“Camilla?” shouted Hinoka before she could stop herself.  Her heart pounded; now Camilla was recognizable. Her eyes and hair gleamed under the bluish light.

“Hinoka?” Camilla shouted back. Her eyes went wide. A second later, she grinned widely. “Hello, dear! Fancy meeting you here.”

“Same to you!” _Camilla_ was Leo’s sister? The tandem bike belonged to Camilla? Of all the possible concert-goers Leo could’ve been related to, it was her. Hinoka realized that there was a good chance that Camilla really was the one on the motorcycle. Seeing someone with long purple hair wasn’t an everyday occurrence; if it wasn’t the singer, it had to be her. The whole thing felt dizzyingly unreal. It was like some god-awful romance novel stuffed with cheesy and contrived shenanigans. The joyful screeching of fans and triumphant music filled Hinoka with energy. “Good music so far?”

“I can’t hear you! The music is too loud!” Camilla huddled in closer to Hinoka and Leo.

Leo looked back and forth between Camilla and Hinoka and cocked his head. “Wait a minute…you two already know each other?”

“Yeah! Well, sort of,” said Hinoka.

“Hinoka and I are both students at the university,” said Camilla. “It’s quite funny, really. We met a couple of weeks ago when I was late for the bus. She stopped it for me.”

“Oh.” Leo’s face curled into a smirk. “I get it. Now things are beginning to make sense.”

“Huh? What’re you getting at?” asked Hinoka. “We only ever talked once! We don’t know each other _that_ well.”

“She’s right,” said Camilla. Her grin dropped.

“Oh, I believe you. I’m sure you’ll figure it out what I mean soon enough,” said Leo. He continued to smirk. “Why didn’t either of you exchange Facebooks or phone numbers? You seem to have something of a connection.”

“I have a Facebook! I…just never use it!” cried Hinoka. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d logged on. All she knew was that Azama had probably posted a lot of memes. “Believe me, I wanted to exchange numbers, but I forgot to ask.”

“Did you, now?” Camilla moved closer. “I might’ve wanted to ask you the same thing after leaving you.”

“R-Really? Me too! Wait, I mean…yeah.” Hinoka’s chest warmed.

The sound of the final dragged-out guitar chord filled the air. Everyone in the auditorium began to clap, some choosing to cheer. A curtain went down over the stage as the lights turned back on. The seated audience members stood as the applause died down, chattering with anticipation as they left.

“Not bad for an opening band,” said Leo. “My feet are soaked. I think I’ll go buy more socks before the next band comes on.”

Camilla frowned. “What happened to the ones I asked you to pack?”

“Take a look at Hinoka’s legs. I’ll be back in a bit.” And with that, Leo left.

A hint of red appeared on Camilla’s cheeks as she looked down. “I can’t see anything. Do you mind rolling your pant legs up?”

Hinoka rolled her pant legs up. Dry blood was slightly visible through the layer of cotton.

Camilla made a pained sound. “Your poor leg! What happened?”

“I had a bit of a nasty fall on the way over. We, uh…used the socks as band-aids, since there weren’t any around at the time.”

“Let me see if I can find some proper ones,” said Camilla. Now that the lights were on, Hinoka could see a small bag slung over Camilla’s shoulder. Camilla opened it and took out several small bandages. “Now, let’s get those bloody socks—”

“Don’t,” said Hinoka. “You already treated me well the last time we saw each other. I can fix myself up when I get home.”

“Please, don’t be so stubborn,” said Camilla. “How did you fall?”

“Well…” Hinoka explained what happened on the way to the concert hall.

“Those silly boys,” said Camilla. “I’ll have to talk to them later.”

“It’s fine,” said Hinoka.

“Either way, it sounds like you should clean your wound,” said Camilla. She opened her bag again and pulled a sports water bottle and some tissues out. “I don’t have any proper cleansers with me, but a squirt of this should hold you over.”

“I already said, I don’t need—” It was then that Hinoka realized how dry her mouth was. A soreness began to settle in her legs. She began to salivate. “H-Hey, how full is that water bottle?”

“Almost completely. Why?”

“If you let me take a drink of that, I’ll let you fix me up,” said Hinoka. “I jogged all the way here, and I just realized that I forgot to bring some water.”

Camilla smiled. “If that’s what it takes, you may drink the entire thing. Just let me give you a hand before you start drinking.”

“Whoa, really?” Hinoka untied her sock and it fell to the ground. “Then let’s get to it. I really need a drink!”

Camilla kneeled down and sprayed Hinoka’s wound. The lukewarm water washed some of the still-wet blood away; Camilla brought a tissue to Hinoka’s leg and wiped away some of the dried blood. She lifted Hinoka’s hairy leg and began to work at the wound. Her hands were soft and warm as they rubbed against Hinoka’s skin. Hinoka suddenly wished she’d given her legs a shave.

“Wow, your legs are quite toned,” said Camilla opening a bandage and putting it on. “I like a girl with strong legs.”

“W-What?” The space between Hinoka’s thighs tingled. “I, uh…wish I knew how to respond to that, but I don’t. Are your legs toned too?” Hinoka immediately wanted to kick her own ass after saying that.

“You tell me.” After Camilla finished placing the last bandage on Hinoka, she stood and rolled up one of her pant legs. Muscles were present along its entire, clean shaven length.

“Oh, _man_.” Hinoka reached to touch Camilla’s leg. She pressed her fingers against its muscles; their hardness made Hinoka’s tingling sensation stronger.

“I’m flattered that your hands are rather drawn to my legs, though I think they’d appreciate touching something else instead.”

Hinoka’s stomach dropped. She tried to shake the less than appropriate thoughts that invaded her mind. “L-Like what?”

The water bottle lowered in front of Hinoka’s face.

“Oh! Right.” Hinoka took the water bottle and stood. She wanted to slap herself; of _course_ Camilla wasn’t referring to anything that came across Hinoka’s mind. Or was she? It was difficult to tell. Twisting the water bottle’s lid off, Hinoka handed it to Camilla and chugged the water. The sensation of water sliding down her throat rejuvenated her. “Ah…that hit the spot. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You know, you’re incredibly lucky, happening to meet Leo out of the blue. The odds of you coming across someone personally connected to me are quite slim,” said Camilla. “Speaking of which, remember that man who was following us the last time we met? I couldn’t tell from where I was, but…I got the feeling there was something familiar between you two.”

Hinoka drank the rest of the water and gave the bottle back. “Oh, that was just Azama. He’s my…friend…I guess. He’s a big jerk, but his words are the only harmful things about him.

“Your…friend?” Camilla raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to assume your relationship is unusual, if throwing your hat at him is of any indication.”

“His hobby is to upset people. Me included, despite being one of his few friends,” said Hinoka. She sighed. “You don’t need to worry about him.”

“Sounds an awful like Leo and Niles’s relationship,” said Camilla. “Now that you mention it…that friend of yours is normally with that blue-haired girl I saw you with that day. Is she your friend too?”

“Yeah, she is.” Hinoka had received a particularly nasty tongue-lashing from Azama that day; just before he arrived, Setsuna had slid down a ravine while heading to class. “I’m not normally there since I don’t have class at that time. My friends are dating, so that’s why they go together. They’re kind of strange, but they’re my friends nonetheless.”

“I see. No wonder you got along with my brother and his friends, then,” said Camilla. “Anyhow, if anyone else tries to hurt you, let me handle them…” She cracked her knuckles.

The face Camilla made sent a shiver down Hinoka’s spine. Was this what Azama meant by the rumor of Camilla being cold and ruthless to most people? She took a step back. “Y-Yeah, I think I’m good.”

Camilla lowered her fists as her expression softened. “…Oh, did I scare you? Sorry, darling. Most people will tell you that I can get rather intense at times.”

“A little, I admit…” Hinoka’s heart raced; despite a newfound desire to put some distance between herself and Camilla, she still wanted to stay close. The space between her legs still tingled. What the hell was happening? Hinoka found herself staring at Camilla’s lips.

“I’m sorry, darling.” Camilla took a step closer. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”

 _Kiss me!_ Hinoka thought. She cringed; there was no way she could ask that now. It was a miracle that it hadn’t slipped out in the first place. “It wasn’t that bad, but let me think about it.”

“Very well,” said Camilla.

The hall continued to buzz with energy as more people entered and re-entered the hall. When neither Camilla nor Hinoka spoke, Hinoka decided to break the silence. “So…how’s life?”

“It’s quite alright. Exams are troublesome. And you?”

“Pretty much the same here,” said Hinoka.

The stage curtain rose. Various instruments were set up, including two guitars, a drum kit, a keyboard, and a bass.

“Leo’s going to miss the start of the concert if he’s not back soon,” said Camilla. “We both adore Woleb Tsap.”

“You do?!?” Hinoka shouted. She coughed into her hand. “I mean, you do?”

“Why yes, I do.” Camilla licked her lips. “In fact, I consider myself one of the band’s biggest casual fans.”

“Do you, now?” Hinoka “I’ll have you know that I also love Woleb Tsap. And I also consider myself to be one of its biggest fans.”

“How’d you like to see who knows more?” said Camilla. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she smirked, but not before firing off a wink.  

Hinoka returned the favour. “Let’s do it.”

As they competed over who knew more, it became clear to Hinoka that Camilla knew her content extremely well. Exhilaration rushed through her body; almost nobody knew that much about Woleb Tsap. Though the band was on its way to superstardom, it hadn’t quite reached that level. To know some of the details Camilla spoke of, one had to have known about the band since its formation and attended concerts as much as possible. It was entirely possible that Hinoka and Camilla had attended the same concerts without ever interacting with each other.

“This is quite fun,” said Camilla. “Now, what else should we cover…?”

“I don’t know, but I agree.” Hinoka’s heart fluttered. She was thankful that Leo still hadn’t shown back up yet; the more time she spent with Camilla, the more she wanted to be alone with her. Her thoughts jumped to going home with her and spending the rest of the night there. Hinoka wanted to get close to Camilla’s soft-yet-hard body and kiss and talk about Woleb Tsap until they grew bored, hoping their excitement would never run out. And if it did? Their hips would rock together and hands would move to places both were desperate to touch.

The lights began to dim. Audience members clapped as a brunette sat at the keyboard.

“Oh, we never said anything about band members!” said Hinoka. “How could we forget something as simple as that?”

“Who knows.” Camilla laughed as she pat Hinoka’s shoulder. Her touch sent a jolt through Hinoka. “That pretty young lady is Mozu.”

“The shy country girl…It’s amazing that she’s able to play up on stage like that,” said Hinoka.

A silver-haired man sat at the drum kit.

“Silas is such a kind boy,” said Camilla. “I knew him somewhat as a child.”

“Did you really?”

“Indeed I did. I don’t speak to him anymore, but I remember him quite well.”

The noise of the women in the crowd was clear as a man with green hair picked up the bass and slung it over his shoulder.

“Kaze’s the brother of a family friend,” said Hinoka.

“Do the girls swarm his house?” asked Camilla.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

A man and a woman backflipped onto the stage, each picking up a guitar.

“Oh, Corrin and Kamui are my _favourite_ ,” said Camilla.

“Me too!” said Hinoka. “Corrin and his friends lived quite close to me.”

“And Kamui and her friends lived near me.” Camilla smiled. “It’s wonderful, having such a lovely band based in this city of ours.”

Finally, the blue-haired vocalist came onstage and stood in front of the microphone. The crowd cheered the loudest Hinoka had heard it as of yet.

“Azura is the best vocalist.” Hinoka struck a pose not unlike that of Odin’s previous one.

“Her dances are just wonderful,” said Camilla.

The band instantly went into a loud rock song, a new hit from their latest album. Hinoka found herself stumbling on some of the words, though she felt some relief once she realized Camilla didn’t seem to know the words well either. It didn’t matter at this point that Camilla had seemed slightly menacing earlier. All Hinoka knew was that she wanted to spend the rest of the concert at Camilla’s side.

This was going to be an incredible night.


	4. Concert Part 2

“Woohoo!”

Hinoka jumped up and down, waving her hands in the air. Her leg vibrated with pain each time she landed; she chose to ignore it. It had been a long time since she’d seen Woleb Tsap live and she was going to enjoy herself. Though Camilla was less animated while standing next to her, Hinoka could see her mouthing the words of the current song perfectly.

With a spin from Azura and a final strum from Corrin and Kamui, the crowd raised their hands and clapped wildly.

“I haven’t listened to that song in such a long time!” shouted Camilla.

“Really? It’s so good!”

“I know!”

Azura raised the mic and began to speak. “I hope you’ve been enjoying tonight’s show!”

The crowd roared with cheers.

“Unfortunately, we’ve got to finish up,” said Azura. “We wish we could play longer, but Radiant Dawn is up next.”

A mix of cheers and disappointed moaning filled the auditorium.

“We’ve got one more song,” said Azura. “This is a song of great importance to us. Its melody has gotten us through plenty of rough times, and…”

“Hey, Camilla!”

From the corner of her eye, Hinoka noticed Leo approaching. Damn it. He’d been gone for most of the performance, leaving Camilla and Hinoka to themselves. The back of her neck felt hot as her heart sank; as much as Hinoka wanted to be alone with Camilla, Leo’s return was inevitable, after all.

“Ah, there you are!” said Camilla, grinning widely. “I was beginning to worry, dear. You missed the beginning of the set, and now the band is about to finish for the night!”

“Huh, I didn’t think we were gone that long,” said Leo. “Anyway, sorry for the short notice, but I’m going home.”

Camilla’s grin dropped. “What? Why?”

Hinoka’s heart leapt; she cursed at herself. Despite wanting Camilla’s company to herself, it was clear that Camilla and Leo had intended to spend time with each other. And Leo had been exceptionally kind. Hinoka wished the selfish feeling would go away.

“Well…I made the mistake of letting Niles come along with me. It seems that his ex-girlfriend works there. Niles started being…you know, Niles, and there was a bit of a blowout. He tries to act like he’s not bothered, but I know him better than that. Odin’s coming with us. So we’re taking the bike and going home.”

Camilla stared at her feet. “I see.”

Hinoka’s stomach churned. “This is my fault,” she said. “If I hadn’t taken your socks, you wouldn’t have needed to go to the store.”

“We couldn’t have predicted that this would happen,” said Leo. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. I’m sorry, Camilla. But at least Hinoka can keep you company, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll stay with you!” Hinoka blurted, instantly forgetting about her guilt. She reached for Camilla’s hand, but stopped herself before getting too close.

Camilla raised her head. She smiled weakly. “You’re right, Leo.”

“I’m sure she’ll make a suitable companion. We’ll talk later,” said Leo.

Camilla smirked. “I hope Niles feels better soon. I think some alone time with his boyfriend will make him feel better.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” cried Leo. “I mean— Camilla, why would you assume he even has a boyfriend in the first place?”

“You act as if I’ve never seen him with men before,” said Camilla. “And I wasn’t talking about you, dear.”

“…Oh.” Even in the darkness, Hinoka could tell the colour in Leo’s cheeks had changed. “Anyway, I’m leaving now. See you soon.”

Watching as Leo vanished into the jungle of people, Hinoka noticed little change in Camilla’s face. She tried to imagine what it’d be like to have Takumi disappear on her during a concert, but couldn’t picture it. Not that he would ever come to a Woleb Tsap concert with her in the first place; he hated the band with the passion of a bull in the ring. He typically spent far more time with Sakura, anyhow. There was little point in wondering.

“I’m sorry you two couldn’t spend more time together,” said Hinoka.

“Don’t worry about it, darling.” Camilla’s eyes met Hinoka’s. There was something gentle within them that made Hinoka’s chest warm. “Leo is right. At least I have you with me.”

“Am I really a good replacement for—” _For your brother_ , Hinoka prevented herself from saying. She felt like her heart would burst from her chest and that her body would collapse under Camilla’s provocative gaze. “Wait, let me try again. I’m…really happy that you’re happy with me being here. I would’ve been alone otherwise.”

“And if you weren’t here, I would leave,” said Camilla. She moved closer; a shock ran through Hinoka’s body, just for a moment, as Camilla lightly brushed her hand.

Azura flicked her hair and brought the mic close to her lips. “You are the ocean’s grey waves…”

Camilla’s face lit up. “My favourite song!”

“Mine too!”

Hinoka and Camilla sang in unison, not caring whether the lyrics they sang were correct or sounded good – not that Hinoka hadn’t listened to the song so often that she knew the lyrics by heart.

When the song finished, the auditorium broke into a crackling ovation. Once the band left the stage and the applause died down, people began to filter out of the auditorium once more.

“That was really good!” said Hinoka.

“One of their best performances yet,” said Camilla. “Radiant Dawn is going to have quite the time topping it, in my opinion.”

“Y’know, I’m not all that big on Radiant Dawn,” said Hinoka. “I mean, Micaiah has a pretty good singing voice, Elincia’s crazy on the keyboard, and Ike’s a great guitarist, but I wouldn’t choose them over the other bands I like. I think they only got so big because of their extremely good roadie. He dresses like he’s in a death metal band or something. You know, from Scandinavia!”

Camilla laughed. “Yes, they’re quite good. You’re not intending on leaving now, are you?”

“N-No! Definitely not!” There was no way she’d leave Camilla so suddenly. Not yet. “I’ll still keep you company. If you want.”

“Your company is the most pleasant thing I’ve experienced tonight, dear,” said Camilla. She winked.

Hinoka tried to fight her rapidly increasing heartbeat. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

“That’s right.” Camilla nodded before smiling. “You know, I’m fine with leaving now. It’s not very late. Why don’t we get something to eat?”

“Really? I would love to—” Her stomach gurgled loudly. She turned away from Camilla. “…I mean, if you want to. I’m not in the mood for anything big. What if we shared some fries or something?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Camilla. “I think this place is selling them at the concession stand, and there’s some tables out back.”

Hinoka pumped a fist. “Great, let’s do it!”

~~~~~~

The yellow glow of the city typically made it difficult to see stars; yet, when Hinoka made her way behind Cyrkensia Hall with Camilla at her side, the city lights seemed to matter little. Stars decorated the nighttime sky, twinkling far and wide like a painting upon an endless canvas. Numerous picnic tables dotted the lot behind the concert hall, strategically lined in front on the building’s back. Once the temperature rose, there would be the occasional outdoor concert. Muffled music blared, the thuds of the bass reverberating in Hinoka’s chest. Two weathered streetlights, one on each side of the group of tables, stood close to the building.

“Let’s sit over there,” said Camilla, pointing at a table a slight distance away from a streetlight.

“Sure.” The fries warmed Hinoka’s hands as she made her way to the table. Once she placed them on the table and took a seat, she shivered.

Camilla took a seat across from her. “Oh dear, are you cold?”

“A little bit.” Hinoka took some fries and quickly devoured them. “But I can handle it.”

“I suppose the fries will warm you up.” Camilla took a handful of fries. “Though if you’d like to be warmer, perhaps we could sit closer…”

“N-No, it’s fine…” Hinoka looked away, hoping that Camilla wouldn’t notice the probable blush on her face. No, she was _not_ going to think about how the side of Camilla’s body would feel pressed against her, no matter what. She glanced around and saw a van with three people standing in front of it. There appeared to be a man with silver hair, a woman with pink hair, and a woman with black hair. All of them had long hair. “Hey, isn’t that one of Woleb Tsap’s groupies? That one with the black hair?”

“Hm…” Camilla followed Hinoka’s gaze. “Seems like you’re right. I think that man and the woman with her are the roadies.”

Despite the muffled music, Hinoka could make out some of the conversation.

“Rhajat, you _cannot_ keep trying to get onstage during performances, no matter how important you think you are,” said the man, glaring at the black-haired woman.

“Why? It’s not like I’m getting in the way of anything,” said Rhajat.

“It doesn’t matter! You’re not authorized to be onstage!” shouted the man. “How many times must we go over this?”

The pink haired woman spoke. “J-Jakob, stop yelling!”

“Not until this little gremlin learns that her place is _not_ alongside Kamui at every hour, every day.”

“ _Gremlin_? I think you’re the gremlin!” Rhajat balled her fists. With a step back, she brought her leg up and swiftly delivered a kick into the lower part of the man’s – Jakob’s – groin.

Jakob let out a cry of anguish as he held his crotch and crumpled to the ground.

Hinoka cringed. “That’s gotta hurt.”

“It seems that Kamui is dating that girl,” said Camilla. “The black haired one, I mean.”

“If that’s true, she’s one successful groupie.”

“No, I mean they’re actually dating. When they’re on tour in places that don’t really know about them, they hold hands while walking in public.” Camilla reached over and held Hinoka’s hand. “She’s been with Kamui since before the band became popular.”

Hinoka’s eyes slowly moved down to Camilla’s hand as it interlocked with her own. Camilla’s grip was soft and contained a hint of sweat, mixing with Hinoka’s own clammy hold. “H-Huh. Guess you knew something I didn’t.”

Camilla began to circle Hinoka’s knuckle with her finger. “Please, dear, it would be an insult to say you know any less than I do about the band.”

“I’d say you know a hell of a lot yourself,” said Hinoka, shoving more fries into her mouth.

Camilla sighed as she moved her fingers to Hinoka’s wrist. “Thank you, dear. I’m just glad that Kamui and Rhajat can show their feelings. To think of the backlash they’d get even twenty years ago…”

“Yeah…” Hinoka considered what she saw Orochi bringing Kagero earlier. “My family knows a couple women who’ve been friends since they were young. They, uh, haven’t outright said anything to us, but everyone knows that they’re more than friends. I don’t know why they won’t just come out and say it at this point.”

“Seems to me like they’re not quite ready yet,” said Camilla. “Hopefully they’ll let you know soon enough.”

“I wish they’d tell us sooner rather than later.” Hinoka drummed her hand on the table. “They seems so happy together. I’m a little jealous…”

“No relationship is without its problems, my dear,” said Camilla, releasing her hand from Hinoka. “But sometimes, people do come together quite well.”

“Have you dated a lot of people?” Hinoka could’ve smacked herself.

Camilla put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. “Oh, not really. Most men are terrified of me.”

“And…women? How do they feel about you?” Hinoka tentatively asked. _Wait, did I just make a move?_

A mischievous grin appeared on Camilla’s face. She gazed into Hinoka’s eyes and licked her lips. Those vibrant, appetizing lips… “I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

Hinoka swallowed. One could have encounters without dating. What kind of attachment did she have to women, anyway? Had Camilla been with plenty of women before, leaving a trail of casual affairs behind her? How did she feel about Hinoka? Was there any possibility that Camilla felt the same way as she did? Did she consider her mere game in the hunt for amusement? Was there any chance – any chance at all – that she would seriously consider Hinoka in the future? “Bet they adore you.”

Camilla flicked her hair. “Some might say adoration…others would say jealousy. Though I suppose it depends on how straight you are.”

“Makes sense,” said Hinoka. _I don’t understand how any woman could be straight after looking at you…_

Eating their fries, they spoke quietly. Hinoka considered suggesting that she and Camilla wander over to the van and try to get autographs, though she decided against it when it dawned upon her that the roadies and Rhajat had left. Though she enjoyed their topic of conversation, she craved for an opportunity to pull their bodies together and lay her head against Camilla’s chest.

Hinoka picked the fry container up and shook it. “Seems like we’re done. I don’t eat fries often, but this hit the spot.”

“It certainly seems like you enjoyed them,” said Camilla. “You ate three fourths of the box on your own!”

“D-Did I? Sorry about that…”

“Why should it matter? You were hungry!” Camilla began to play with her hands. “Though I would’ve liked to have eaten a little more, I can deal with it later. Now, is there anything else you’d like to do?”

“Hm….” Hinoka yawned before standing and walking over to Camilla. “My jog took a bit out of me, and I jumped around a lot during the concert. I think I’d like to finish for the day and run home.”

“Run?” Camilla raised an eyebrow before yawning herself. “That won’t do. You’ve still got a nasty wound on your leg. You wouldn’t want to have it bleed again, would you?”

“Don’t worry, I can handle it. Whether it bleeds or not, I’m going to take a bath when I get back.”

“What if you run into some naughty delinquents?”

“I’ll fight ‘em off!” said Hinoka. She unzipped her vest and pulled her shirt up. “See? If my legs weren’t enough for you, I’m stronger than I look!”

Camilla’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Under the streetlight, Hinoka could see her face redden quickly. Her eyes seemed to shine. “Wow…absolutely stunning.”

Quickly lowering her shirt and zipping her vest up, Hinoka ran her hands down her burning face. “I, uh, didn’t mean to flash you like that. Sorry…”

“No need to apologize for showing me something so fantastic,” said Camilla, wrapping an arm around Hinoka’s shoulder. “My motorcycle has enough room for two, and I always bring an extra helmet just in case. I can drop you off at your place. Won’t you come along with me? Giving you a ride could make up for when I unsettled you earlier. The best way to get comfortable is to spend some time with me, right?”

“Well, yeah…” Hinoka almost hated that Camilla could turn her legs into jelly with a single invitation or touch. Regardless of Camilla’s comment, it was true that running probably wasn’t the best idea at the current time; not that she’d admit it. Just this once, Hinoka figured it was best to relent. “We’ve already spent a fair bit of unexpected time together tonight, though I guess it wouldn’t hurt to be with each other for a little bit longer. Alright, I’ll ride with you.” 

“Then it’s settled!” said Camilla, quickly dropping her arm and taking a step forward. “Let’s go, shall we?”

When they reached the motorcycle, Hinoka realized that it was bigger than she’d expected. Moonlight reflected off of its ebony sheen, revealing several scratch marks.

“Safety first.” Camilla put her helmet on and took a seat at the front of the bike. She handed Hinoka a matching helmet.

After putting her helmet on, Hinoka sat behind Camilla. She unsuccessfully looked for handles. “Where do I hold on?”

“I think you know,” said Camilla.

“I don’t, I—” Realization hit Hinoka like a slap to the face. “Oh. Right.” She pressed against Camilla and took a hold of her hips. “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before.”

“Trust me, darling…” Camilla revved the engine. Hinoka vibrated up and down as Camilla backed out of the spot. “…Once you’ve ridden one of these, you won’t want to drive a car ever again.”

As the motorcycle exited the lot and picked up speed, a sense of calm fell upon Hinoka. It was somewhat similar to riding a horse, though far more controlled. She leaned into Camilla’s back, the scent of leather bringing her closer, warming Hinoka instantly. The vibrating sensations, coupled with the way her body moved against Camilla’s, created a noticeable tug in the pit of Hinoka’s groin. Was this some sort of trap? If it was, Hinoka wanted to never leave.

Before she knew it, Camilla had pulled up to Hinoka’s house. The only source of light was the dim light radiating from Takumi’s room.

“This it? 669 Matsuoka Street?”

“Yep, this is it,” said Hinoka, making no move to get off.

The motorcycle continued to rumble in one place, both passengers unmoving. Hinoka found herself immobile, seemingly glued to Camilla’s back.

Camilla turned and frowned. “…Dear, do you need help getting off?”

“N-Nope, I got it!” Hinoka tried to move and slowly dismounted the bike, stumbling slightly as she reoriented herself. She stood next to Camilla and nodded.

Camilla removed her helmet. “Thank you for spending time with me tonight.”

“Hey, no problem,” said Hinoka, taking her own helmet off. “We should do something like this again sometime.”

“I would love to,” said Camilla. She stretched her arms and grinned.

Hinoka took her cell phone out to check the time. When she looked up, Camilla was licking her lips again. Eyes drawn to a drip of saliva just below her mouth, the space between Hinoka’s legs trembled. She cursed under her breath. She’d managed to go without lewd thoughts for most of the night. Why was this happening now?

Camilla cupped her hand behind her ear. “What was that?”

“Uh, nothing! Nothing.” Her fingers curled around the phone still sitting in her hand. “Oh, right! Before I forget, I’d like to give you my number.”

Raising an eyebrow, Camilla reached into her pocket and revealed her own phone. “Of course.”

Trading phones, Hinoka inserted her number. After exchanging phones again, Hinoka recited the number to make sure it was correct.

“That’s right,” said Camilla.

“Great!” Hinoka’s eyes met Camilla’s. A feeling of discontent settled into her stomach. Did they really have to part now? Though they had only spent the past few hours together, it felt like they’d been together for an eternity. Pocketing her phone, Hinoka tried to muster a grin. “Thanks for the ride, by the way.”

“You’re most welcome, darling.”

Taking a deep breath, Hinoka found herself unable to move her gaze off of Camilla’s face. Neither moved, eye contact unwavering. It was as if an invisible thread connected the two; it felt like if either broke contact, the other would disappear forever.

Hinoka blinked and turned her head away, heart pounding. It couldn’t last all night.

“Well…see you,” said Hinoka. “I’ll text you some time.”

 Camilla smiled gingerly. “I look forward to it. Goodbye, Hinoka.”

“B-Bye.” Hinoka rotated her body to face her house, resisting the urge to glance back. She wanted more energy, wanted to put more effort into spending time with Camilla that night. Perhaps they could’ve had a proper meal or a drink, gradually learning more and more about each other.

She made it halfway up the driveway before realizing something was out of place.

The sound of the motorcycle didn’t gradually fade; it stopped abruptly, winding down in less than a second. She turned and saw Camilla getting off the bike, heading towards her.

“Is there something you need?” asked Hinoka, tone harsher than she’d intended.

Camilla pointed at the helmet firmly clenched between Hinoka’s arm and waist. “That, for starters.”

Hinoka gave a short laugh before handing the helmet over. “Oops.”

“Thank you.” Camilla went back to her motorcycle, putting the helmet away.

 _Was that it?_ Hinoka resumed her walk to the house’s entrance.

A hand grasped Hinoka’s shoulder. “Wait, don’t leave yet!”

Hinoka turned and sighed. “Now what? I—”

Camilla placed her hand on the back of Hinoka’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine. When Hinoka gazed into her eyes, she sensed a flaming need. The scent of lavender made Hinoka’s stomach do flips. Breath hot on her face, Camilla’s moist lips were hypnotizing. Hinoka’s arms moved on their own as they pulled Camilla into an embrace. Her breasts were soft against Hinoka’s own, their centers harder than the rest. It would be so easy to remove the remaining space between them, standing on her toes…

An arm wrapping around her back drew them even closer. When their lips joined, Hinoka felt herself melt. She thought she might collapse into a pile of burning limbs, had Camilla’s soft body not been propping her up. Their mouths moved together in a way Hinoka had never experienced before, her entire body swelling with immense bliss.

Parting their lips, Camilla kissed Hinoka’s forehead. “You’re so cute, Hinoka…”

“Y-Y-You’re…” stammered Hinoka. “…You’re actually interested in me?”

“How could I not be?” Camilla kissed Hinoka’s lips once more. “We might not have known each other long, but why should that mean we can’t do what we’ve been yearning to do since our first meeting?”

“Yearning since our first— what do you mean?” Hinoka’s heart thudded, threatening to combust at any moment.

“Don’t be so coy,” said Camilla. “You and I both know that our encounter at the bus stop went beyond strangers helping strangers. Why, your face is as red as your hair…”

“I-Is it?” Hinoka brought her fingertips to her cheek; it was smoldering. “You’re right.”

“About your cheek or our meeting?”

“Both,” said Hinoka, bringing her lips to Camilla’s cheek and stroking Camilla’s hair. “Damn it, Camilla. Kiss me again.”

Camilla beamed as she brought her lips to Hinoka’s once more, this time kissing deeper. Hinoka kissed back with the same intensity, heart pounding as their saliva mixed and slithered down her chin. Though Camilla’s lips lacked any distinct flavor, Hinoka didn’t want to stop any time soon.

Eventually they had to stop, though, when Hinoka realized that someone could be watching from the inside of a neighbouring house. She released Camilla with a sigh.

“Thank you, Camilla, for everything that’s happened tonight. As much as I want to keep going, you should probably get home to your family.”

“Ah! You’re right!” said Camilla. “Time just flies by, doesn’t it? I suppose I’d better be off, then.” She brought Hinoka’s hand to her face and kissed it.

“Can I count on you to give me a shout sometime in the near future?” asked Hinoka.

“Absolutely.” Camilla headed back towards her motorcycle, turning back for a moment and winking. She mounted it and blew a kiss.

Hinoka waved as Camilla rode off into the distance, her figure more and more difficult to see until she vanished into the darkness. “Goodbye,” she whispered, turning to enter her house.

The door handle was cold; without Camilla’s hand upon hers, it felt heavy and exposed. Hinoka darted up the stairs, anxious to take off her clothes and run a bath. She entered the washroom and turned the taps on.

“Hinoka? What are you doing back so early?” came a familiar voice.

“Just the way things worked out, Takumi.”

Takumi scowled as he kneeled next to Hinoka. “I saw you on the back of some white girl’s motorcycle.”

 _Damn it, he saw that?_ Hinoka’s cheeks burned. “She’s a new…friend of mine.”

Crossing his arms, Takumi backed out of the washroom. “Why do I get the feeling that your relationship with this woman isn’t exactly friendship on its own?”

“Don’t worry about it,” said Hinoka, shutting the door and locking it.

She pulled her top and bra off and discarded it on the floor. As her pants dropped to the floor, she noticed a wet spot in the crotch region. She was suddenly afraid that Takumi had noticed how damp her pants were.

“…Stupid sexy motorbike.”

Hinoka peeled her bandages and sopping underpants off and threw them atop her pants. Testing the water temperature, she let her bath run for a few more minutes before shutting the taps off and sliding into the tub. In her mind, Camilla was naked and on top of Hinoka, sloppily kissing her and thrusting their bodies together. Camilla’s nipples were solid as Hinoka enveloped them with her mouth and ran her tongue across them.

She slid her hand between her thighs and began to rub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao this fic was doomed to become a mess in the first place so might as well make it a hot mess am I right ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) if you're enjoying the fic, please leave kudos! They fill me with confidence.
> 
> Okay, but the main reason I've got a note here is to tell you all that there's a chance this might not update for at least a couple weeks. Why? A few weeks ago I got a rad idea for long-term caminoka fic, and I'd really like to write a first chapter to test it out. It's going to be an AU, but not a plain old modern AU (though it will take place in a modern setting). While it'll definitely focus on caminoka, it'll also be a bit more appealing to a general audience. It's also not going to be a comedy, but a more serious fic that'll display a straighter version of Camilla's character (her sexuality certainly isn't going to be any straighter tho ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)). There'll be a reasonable amount of violence, but nothing domestic (that stuff's still kind of icky to write about). I've been intentionally watering down some of the less pleasant aspects of Camilla's personality for fluff, so I'm excited!
> 
> Don't worry, I fully intend on completing this fic before I go too far with it!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day! I finally have a good idea of how long this fic will be, though I won't post a chapter length since I still need to decide on some things. All you need to know is that this fic is around halfway done, and I'm going to try my best to concentrate my effort on finishing this fic.
> 
> Also, I did sart on that fic I mentioned in the AN of the last chapter! You can find it under the title Beneath Your Burning Touch (name 95% chance of changing, though, because it sounds really porny IMO and it's not one of those fics, so...)
> 
> This fic really went off-track from what I was asked to do for the exchange;;; I'm sorry!
> 
> Nonetheless, please enjoy!

_Damn it, they’re late!_ thought Hinoka. Sitting on the edge of the staircase at home, Hinoka drummed her hand against the wall. She checked her phone; still no response. By the time her friends would arrive, Hinoka thought she’d be a powder keg herself. Why did Franz Ferdinand and his wife have to get shot outside of that sandwich shop?

To curb her boredom, Hinoka scrolled through her text history with Camilla. A pleasant feeling settled in her stomach as she read through a text conversation they had had before bed the night before.

\--[12:52 AM] Hinoka: this exam is going to be terrible :/ I’m going to try studying tomorrow

\--[12:56 AM] Cam: Do you need a partner? I would be more than happy to help you out dear

\--[12:57 AM] Hinoka: well my friends are coming over tomorrow to study with me

\--[12:57 AM] Hinoka: so next time

\--[12:58 AM] Cam: Awww

\--[12:59 AM] Cam: I guess it’s okay for now

\--[12:59 AM] Cam: I can’t imagine what kind of trouble we might get into if we end up in the privacy of your room ;-)

Hinoka swore she had nearly died after reading that text for the first time. The memory of how it made hot shocks run through her body was still fresh, and Hinoka had a minor relapse upon reading the sentence again. Camilla had texted almost daily during the past couple of weeks, though they had yet to meet outside of the university due to end-year busyness. They had not spoken in person since the night of the concert; Hinoka ached when she thought about kissing Camilla again.

\--[1:01 AM] Hinoka: oh my god Camilla 

\--[1:01 AM] Cam: Sorry darling but you’re too cute to not tease a little

Teasing or not, Hinoka couldn’t help but feel a tinge of excitement. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that Camilla’s forwardness was inconsiderate, Hinoka knew she wanted to move forward as much as her new companion did. She was almost glad that exams were starting in less than a week.

Almost.

\--[1:02 AM] Cam: maybe we could do something tomorrow anyway when you’re done

\--[1:04 AM] Hinoka: sure. Do you have anything in mind?

\--[1:05 AM] Cam: It’s going to be warm and the fair’s in town for a few days. How’s that?

\--[1:05 AM] Hinoka: sounds good to me! Remind me at some point tomorrow so I don’t forget

\--[1:06 AM] Cam: Of course darling :-)

\--[1:06 AM] Cam: I can’t wait to kiss your beautiful face again

\--[1:06 AM] Hinoka: me too

\--[1:07 AM] Cam: You’d rather kiss your own face than mine? Silly girl :P

\--[1:11 AM] Hinoka: you know what I meant

\--[1:13 AM] Cam: Is that all? Even when you’re about to go to bed ur so serious

\--[1:14 AM] Hinoka: well if you were here I’d probably scream your name out as well

\--[1:17 AM] Cam: All I know is that if I were there you wouldn’t be able to stop screaming out my name until dawn, covered in sweat and who knows what else

Back when the conversation was happening live, Hinoka had nearly thrown her phone across the room. She wanted Camilla next to her right then and there, naked and begging to remove Hinoka’s clothes. She knew they were moving quickly, that it wouldn’t take much to tumble into a hot mess the first moment the two were alone in a private place. The more logical part of Hinoka, however, told her to slow down, and to try to get Camilla to do the same. At least they hadn’t done anything on the day of their first proper meeting, Hinoka rationalized.

End-year stress certainly did things to people.

\--[1:18 AM] Hinoka: omg stop it Camilla 

\--[1:20 AM] Cam: fine

\--[1:21 AM] Cam: I just wanted you to know that you’re a very desirable woman ;-)

\--[1:28 AM] Hinoka: look Camilla

\--[1:31 AM] Hinoka: I’ll admit I’m ridiculously turned on but

\--[1:31 AM] Camilla: But? 

\--[1:33 AM] Hinoka: but don’t you think we should go a little slower?

\--[1:35 AM] Cam: How come? If you want it and I want it we should just do it. Would help us de-stress from exams you know

\--[1:36 AM] Hinoka: don’t make it harder on me than it already is

\--[1:36 AM] Cam: Let me guess, you’re a virgin aren’t you? Or at least don’t know how to act sexual towards a woman

At the time, mortification shot through Hinoka’s body. Was her lack of dating experience really that obvious?

\--[1:38 AM] Hinoka: ………yeah I am

\--[1:39 AM] Hinoka: I was hoping you hadn’t figured it out

\--[1:40 AM] Cam: Well if you’re worried about that then please don’t be

\--[1:42 AM] Cam: Whenever it happens I’ll try to be gentle and teach you a couple tricks

\--[1:43 AM] Cam: You’ll have to forgive me if I get a little rough though

\--[1:45 AM] Hinoka: if you’re rough I’ll just have to be even rougher

\--[1:47 AM] Cam: Now you’re the one making it hard on me :-(

 _Logical_ , Hinoka thought. _Stay logical_.

\--[1:49 AM] Hinoka: let’s just see how tomorrow goes

\--[1:50 AM] Hinoka: it will be fun to hang out regardless of what happens

\--[1:52 AM] Cam: Of course darling

\--[1:52 AM] Cam: Shall we chat later?

\--[1:53 AM] Hinoka: yeah

\--[1:53 AM] Hinoka: have a good night

\--[1:54 AM] Cam: You too, cutie xoxoxo

Camilla hadn’t texted her since that time of night. Hinoka assumed that she was trying to be somewhat considerate, letting her study in peace. The fair was open during the evening, so it was probably better for Camilla to text her later. She hoped it would stay warm.

A knock was at the door, followed by the doorbell pressed multiple times to the tune of John Cena’s theme song. Hinoka sighed as she opened the door.

Setsuna and Azama stood on the other side, the latter grinning widely. “Hinoka! You’re looking just as messy as usual today.”

“The two of you are the only ones I’m expecting for now.” Hinoka narrowed her eyes at him.

“For now?” Setsuna yawned. “Is someone else coming…?”

“Yeah, but not until you’re gone,” said Hinoka, stepping back to allow her friends’ entrance.

“Oh? Who might it be?” asked Azama.

“T-That’s none of your business! Let’s go upstairs and get started with our studying!” Hinoka stomped up the stairs. _I’m not going hear the end of this, am I?_

After they got themselves settled in her room, Hinoka pulled out her thick history textbook and flipped to the World War I section. “Okay, can you guys look at this and ask me questions?”

Setsuna took the book and stared. “Hmm…whooo was in the Triple Alliance?”

“That’s an easy one,” said Hinoka. “Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary. Next!”

Azama leaned against Setsuna and examined the book. “Then who’s in the Triple Entente?”

“You’re making this too simple.” Hinoka stretched her arms. “Russia, France, and the UK.”

“Then who’s coming to meet you after we leave?” asked Setsuna.

Hinoka did a double take. “Setsuna? Why are you asking me that? You’ve been spending too much time with _him_.” She pointed at Azama, who smirked.

“Sorry,” said Setsuna.

“You’ve learned well,” said Azama, stroking Setsuna’s hair. He looked back to Hinoka. “Normally you’d tell us who you were seeing in a heartbeat, but you’ve gone tight lipped! Let me guess, you’ve miraculously gotten a date?”

“Miraculously? I’d say it’s miraculous that _you_ were able to get a date!” She moved her gaze to Setsuna. “Sorry, but it’s true.”

Setsuna shook her head and lied on the floor, head in Azama’s lap.

“Whatever you say. I still got one before you,” said Azama. “Spill the beans. Who is it? Camilla? It’s her, isn’t it?”

“Hey, I never said that! Don’t assu—” Hinoka’s cell phone rang. Without bothering to check who it was, she answered it; anything to remove her from the conversation was welcome. “Hello?”

“Hello, darling!” blared the phone. “Forgive my sudden call, but are you still good for our fair date?”

 _Shit! How the hell did that come on?_ Hinoka fumbled as she tried to turn the speakerphone off. “Just a second!”

“She sounds really nice…” said Setsuna.

“Shush!” Fixing the speaker, Hinoka brought the phone to her ear. “Uh, yeah! Is seven a good time?”

“It’s a perfect time,” said Camilla. “Oh, you’re studying aren’t you? Sorry darling. I’ll pick you up at seven and let you get back to your friends. See you soon!” She hung up.

With a sigh, Hinoka tossed the phone onto her bed. She knew there was no getting out of the conversation now.

Azama made a curt laugh. “Ha! I don’t know Camilla’s voice, but given how struck you were a few weeks ago, I think it’s pretty clear that _she_ called you. Not to mention, you’re as red as a lobster.”

Hinoka wiped the side of her face with her hand. “Yes, Azama. It’s her. Satisfied now?”

“As if!” Azama reached in front of Setsuna and closed the history book. “We’ve known each other for years! I think you need to work on improving your memory. Do you really think I’m satisfied with just that?”

“Have you kissed?” asked Setsuna.

“Don’t encourage him, Setsuna!” Regardless, there was little point in lying now. “…Yeah. We have.”

“How nice,” said Setsuna. She stared at Hinoka. “Remember when you kissed me all those years ago? Good times…”

“Oh, don’t go on about that again.” Hinoka put her face in her hands.

Azama grimaced. “Clearly it wasn’t _that_ good, since nothing ever happened and you chose me.”

“Just admit it, Azama. You’re jealous.” Returning her gaze to her friends, Hinoka found herself grinning. When the three attended high school, Hinoka had impulsively kissed Setsuna while trying to prove Azama that she wasn’t as repugnant as he said she was. Though she never had any interest in Setsuna, Hinoka had realized from the experience that kissing women might be enjoyable.

“Me, jealous? As if! You should’ve seen your face that time the dog beat you in that race.”

“I tripped on some junk before I knew it was there!” cried Hinoka. “And who gives a random dog a first-place reward in a race for _humans_?”

 “Oh please, I never said your jealously wasn’t reasonable,” said Azama. “Even though it wasn’t! That cute dog deserved all the praise.”

“Don’t worry, I like you,” said Setsuna. She sat up and kissed Azama’s cheek. “We’re getting married in a few months, after all…”

If Hinoka had a drink in her mouth, she knew it would yet again end up on Azama’s clothes. “You’re _what_?”

“N-Never mind that!” said Azama, hastily standing. “What are we doing, sitting here? We need to make sure you don’t look like you’ve just walked out of a burning building for your date.”

“What? But I need to study!”

“Your exam is in two weeks, your date is tonight!” Azama tugged open the closet. Setsuna moved to stand beside him, admiring herself in the mirror on the back of the door for a moment before digging through the clothes.

“You can’t just bust into my closet like that!” Hinoka stormed over to where her friends were and snatched a yellow and white polka-dot shirt out of Azama’s hands. “…And I am _not_ wearing this.”

Setsuna held a child-sized dress up. “What about this?”

“Are you kidding me? I wore that when I was ten!”

“Hey, what’s going on in there?”

Hinoka turned to see Takumi, Oboro, Hinata, and Sakura standing in the door to the hall.

 _Great_ , thought Hinoka. Takumi and Sakura still didn’t know what Hinoka’s relationship with Camilla was like, and Oboro would probably tear apart the entire closet finding the most suitable clothes. Hinata would probably get excited over everything he recognized.

“Ah, perfect timing!” said Azama. “This royal mess has a date coming up, and she needs an outfit that won’t make her companion vomit on sight!”

“Way to let the entire world know,” hissed Hinoka.

“You’re going on a date?” Sakura smiled. “Will…will you tell me about it later?”

Hinoka considered it for a moment. She’d have to leave the PG-13 parts out, though it was hard to imagine much inappropriateness happening at the fair, aside from a few stolen kisses. “…Yeah, sure.”

“Damn it, I knew it!” Takumi snapped his fingers. “It’s that girl I saw you with outside the house a couple of weeks ago, isn’t it? Just saying, if she ever does anything you don’t like, I’ll back you up and—”

“Hey, is that the dress you wore to my birthday party when we were kids?” said Hinata, pointing at the dress Setsuna held.

“Yes, Hinata.”

“It looks so nice,” said Sakura.

Hinoka took the dress from Setsuna and tossed it to Sakura. “You can have it.”

“Can I have the shirt Azama brought out?” asked Setsuna.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Hinoka tossed the shirt she held at the floor and brought a hand to her face. This was not going to work, but there was little she could do. “Look, if we’re not going to study, then at least help me be productive in finding something decent to wear, rather than chatting or asking me for my things.”

“Then let’s get to it!” Oboro wandered over to the closet and grabbed a random shirt. “Who are you going on a date with, anyway?”

Searching for something decent with the amount of people helping went as Hinoka expected. Being forced to talk about Camilla in front of her siblings was discontenting. As a result, she tried to avoid talking about her as much as possible, somewhat unsuccessfully. Along with going through practically everything Hinoka owned, they stopped to examine and talk about the contents. Hinoka was frequently forced to try on a multitude of outfits, such as skirts that slipped further down her waist every time she took a step (she tried not to imagine how Camilla would react to such a thing happening) and old t-shirts that borderline choked her. After trying several outfits on, the group stopped to take a break for some time. Upon returning to the clothes, difficulty continued to persist.

“You have a _beanie_?” Azama put it on Setsuna. “Well, it looks good on Setsuna at least.”

Setsuna pat herself on the head and said, “Hella.”

“Knock it off you two,” said Hinoka. “Takumi, what time is it?”

“It’s about seven.”

Hinoka’s stomach dropped. “We’ve spent that long on clothes hunting?!?”

“Well, we did stop to eat an hour and a half ago,” said Hinata.

“True, but damn it! Maybe she’ll be late.”

It was then that Hinoka glanced out the window and noticed a black motorcycle heading down the street, slowing as it approached the house. Her heart thumped; soon she would be next to Camilla once again, wrapping her arms around her.

But she still hadn’t decided on an outfit.

“…I spoke to soon. Hurry!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but wear these jorts,” said Oboro, tossing a pair of jean shorts in Hinoka’s direction. “They’ll match with pretty much everything you wear on top and they’re one of the few things you have that aren’t wrinkled. We don’t have time to pick something perfect!”

After putting her shorts on, Hinoka threw on a white and red t-shirt and raced out of the room.

Several footsteps followed her down the stairs.

“H-Hey, aren’t you going to at least say goodbye?” said Takumi.

Hinoka clipped her fanny pack around her waist and turned to her friends. “See you guys later! And thanks for your help!”

Her companions wished her luck and said goodbye (some more obnoxiously than others), cheering as Hinoka exited the house and headed for the motorcycle sitting in the driveway.

She couldn’t help but suck a breath back. Camilla’s dark top accentuated her red skirt; though her eyes were on Camilla’s face, Hinoka’s mind couldn’t help but fixate on the skirt.

Camilla took her helmet off and grinned. “Aren’t you coming, dear?”

“Yeah!” Hinoka leapt onto the back of the motorcycle and planted a kiss on Camilla’s cheek.

Camilla spun around and embraced Hinoka, sloppily bringing their lips together and lingering for several moments. Once again did Hinoka feel like her insides had melted, concentrating together in the pit of her stomach and steadily moving lower.

As she drew away from Hinoka, Camilla sighed pleasantly. “Ah, Hinoka…you taste just like I remember.”

“I, uh…I missed you,” said Hinoka, kissing Camilla again.

After kissing and taking in each other’s presence for another minute, Camilla handed Hinoka a helmet. Hinoka strapped the helmet on, keeping it tight as the motorcycle roared down the road.


	6. Chapter 6

The motorcycle came to a stop between two vans parked close to the far end of the fairground parking lot. In the distance, the sun had mostly gone down, golden-orange light bursting over the horizon as the sky became consumed by a twilight blue. Though the air had cooled somewhat, it was unseasonably warm for an early April evening; more people than usual were showing up to outdoor events, jamming the parking lots.

Not that Hinoka minded.

Dismounting the bike and handing her helmet to Camilla, Hinoka took a deep breath. Camilla’s mild lavender perfume had gotten into her clothes during the ride over. It was all at once beautiful, delicious, and invigorating. It was so Camilla-like, she thought.

Finally, they were going to have a proper date.

“I haven’t been to the fair in a long time,” said Hinoka.

Camilla hummed. “My sister likes to come here once in a while, so it hasn’t been too long for me. I’ve never taken her in the evening, though.”

“How come?”

“Because even though children are still present, I think the dark better serves as better company for adults like us.” She winked.

“Really, now?” Hinoka blinked, then winked back. She started to move out of the parking spot. “Let’s get to it, then!”

“Hold on.”

Camilla’s arms were around Hinoka’s waist, dragging her back to where she previously stood. She felt soft breasts pushing against her as she twisted slightly to get a better look at Camilla. Before she could react, Hinoka’s body involuntarily turned the rest of the way and bumped against the side of one of the vans, feelings evaporating as Camilla kissed her. After getting over her inability to think for the first second, Hinoka kissed back. She squeezed Camilla as hard as she could without hurting her, hoping she could feel her rapid heartbeat.

Camilla panted as she released Hinoka. “Now _that’s_ what I’d call a kiss.”

“And now I know why you picked this spot.”

“Won’t you hold my hand?”

Wordlessly, Hinoka laced her fingers with Camilla’s. If any bystanders did any funny business, they’d regret doing so; Hinoka’s athleticism was more than just for show, though she knew she probably wouldn’t use her strength unless absolutely necessary. Words, in combination with her body, were usually enough. She had a distinct feeling that Camilla wouldn’t remain idle, either.

They exited the parking lot and headed towards the fair entrance. If it had been summer, the cries of various insects would fill the air, singing a song of warmth and romance. Oblivious children ran towards the entrance with their bored parents, screaming “I want cotton candy!” and “Hurry up!” and so on. At the very back of the people entering, Hinoka noticed two men holding hands.

“Seems we’re not alone,” said Camilla, waving at the men. The men waved back.

As they got closer to the entrance, Hinoka marveled at the scene. Beyond the entrance gate were several illuminated rides, drawing lines across the sky as they swung in all directions. A similarly glowing Ferris wheel reigned above everything else, gradually rotating. The scent of various deep-fried foods grew stronger with every step as people went in and out of the gate.

“So, what would you like to do first, darling?” asked Camilla, leading Hinoka through.

“I’m good with anything you want to do.”

“No, you first.”

“No, you.”

“Fine, we’ll make out behind a dumpster while carnies on break stare at us with joints hanging out of their mouths,” deadpanned Camilla.

“Aw, c’mon! Don’t tease me like that!” Hinoka scanned the area until her eyes landed upon a ring toss game. “Let’s start with one of those carnival games.”

“That’s more like it,” said Camilla, pecking the top of Hinoka’s head. “Though I would be quite happy to have my hands all over you, it would defeat the purpose of coming here, don’t you think?”

“You got that right.” Honestly, Camilla was too much. Hinoka wasn’t sure if she truly enjoyed it or had too much attraction to consider otherwise.

Approaching the ring toss, Hinoka handed the carny some cash and put a ring on each finger.

“I like this game because it’s the only one that isn’t rigged,” said Camilla.

The carny brought a hand to his chest. “What are you talking about? Carnival games aren’t rigged.”

“If carnival games aren’t rigged, then I’m straight!” Hinoka tossed her rings, none successfully going over the bottle necks. One looked as if it would succeed, but ultimately fell to the side.

“Let me have a go,” said Camilla, giving the carny more cash and taking some rings. Her rings ended up doing the same thing Hinoka’s did.

Camilla tossed her final ring with far more force, causing it to bounce off the bottle and land beneath the table.

“Ow!” suddenly came a high pitched voice.

Raising an eyebrow, Camilla looked at Hinoka. “That voice sounds familiar…”

“What the hell?” The carny went over to the other side of the table and crouched. “Hey! Don’t do that here!”

“Ugh, fine.”

A red haired woman emerged from beneath the table, followed by a blue haired woman.

Camilla’s eyes widened. “Selena? Beruka?”

The women returned Camilla’s expression. “Camilla?”

“Huh? You know these girls?” Hinoka stared at the women. Selena grimaced at the carny. Beruka’s expressionless face was intriguing; there were red lip marks smeared all over her face.

“They’re my friends,” said Camilla.

“Good, you can tell your friends to fuck elsewhere,” said the carny.

Beruka blinked. “To be fair, sir, my partner and I had no intent beyond kissing.”

“Yeah! We’re not _that_ gross,” said Selena.

“Whatever. Just don’t do it around here.”

Hinoka hoped that Camilla wouldn’t suggest that they do something similar, even if it was only teasing.

“Let’s talk somewhere else for a minute,” said Camilla.

Hinoka followed Camilla to a spot behind some of the games, all too aware of the other women trailing her. She found herself feeling something similar to what she felt upon Leo’s return at the concert; though she would’ve been fine meeting these women on any other occasion, part of her was frustrated that they had to run into each other on this night in particular. This was a date, after all. Hinoka wanted Camilla to herself, just for the rest of the evening. And, perhaps, the night.

Stopping, Camilla wrapped her arm around Hinoka’s shoulder. “These are my friends, Selena and Beruka. Selena, Beruka, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Selena’s face lit up in realization. “Oh, are you Hinoka?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s me,” said Hinoka. “Wait, you guys have talked about me?”

“Naturally,” said Camilla. “Surely it’s normal to talk about a girl you like, don’t you think?”

“I’d say so, but…” Hinoka found herself touching Camilla’s fingers. “I guess I’m just not used to having it talked about so openly, y’know?”

“Oh Hinoka, what am I going to do with you?” Camilla ran her hand through Hinoka’s hair. “You’ve got much to learn. Luckily, you’ve got a willing teacher standing next to you…”

“Barf,” said Selena.

“Darling Selena…” A mischievous smile appeared on Camilla’s face. “Must I remind you of how you and Beruka realized your feelings for each other? What a wonderful night that was! A certain someone could see that the two of you were clearly infatuated, so one evening she locked you in the basement and—”

“Don’t,” interrupted Beruka. “Your date doesn’t need to know the details.”

Hinoka wanted Camilla to continue. It took every part of her body to decide against asking, for Selena and Beruka’s sake.

Selena groaned. “Of course you’d bring that up. Watch out, Hinoka. She’s always teasing us like this!”

“I-I figured as much,” said Hinoka.

“And there’s plenty more to come.” Camilla took Hinoka’s hand once more. She traced circles into Hinoka’s palm as she addressed her friends. “Anyhow, as much as I adore spending time with you two, think both of our parties have their own agendas. It was nice to bump into you.”

“Same to you,” said Beruka.

“I’ll talk to you later,” said Camilla.

Beruka and Selena said their goodbyes and headed in the other direction.

Alone again.

Camilla grinned. “They’re a lovely couple, aren’t they? I’ve been friends with them for a long time.”

“Mm. They’re not as strange as Setsuna and Azama, I’ll give them that.”

“But you obviously like them. Otherwise you wouldn’t still be friends with them, am I right?”

 _Guilty as charged_ , Hinoka thought.

Hinoka wished she’d known Camilla for as long as she’d known her friends. But would their relationship be the same as now? Based on what she knew of Camilla, they could’ve gone either way: relentless enemies or friends with undying devotion to each other. Perhaps there would be something more complex at work, a mixture of conflicting emotion. There was something Freudian about throwing the same remark at someone over and over again.

She supposed it didn’t matter in the end. This was their reality, and Camilla looked as adoring as ever. Camilla wasn’t too much; it was merely her way of affection.

Standing on the tips of her toes, Hinoka brought her lips to Camilla’s. They stood like that for several moments before they drew apart, only to be brought back together with a breast-filled hug from Camilla.

“How I adore it when you take initiative,” said Camilla, making a low purring sound as she touched her forehead against Hinoka’s. “So, what should we do next?”

They played more carnival games, failing miserably at each one (though Hinoka had nearly conquered a ladder-climbing game, falling at the last minute and growling at the timer). Once each game had been played, it was time for some of the rides. Hinoka was afraid that she might vomit on one ride that swung violently back and forth (why did she go on these types of rides again?); she did not, and considered it her first success of the night. Next, she and Camilla paired up for a bungee jump ride. Hinoka felt serene as she nestled against Camilla’s back and felt the wind upon her face, wanting the moment to last forever.

And then there was the haunted house.

“That was so lame,” said Hinoka. The biggest shock the haunted house had to offer was leaving; the contrast between the near pitch-black lighting within and the vibrant colours of the fair momentarily stung Hinoka’s eyes.

“I suppose it’s meant more for people her age.” Camilla pointed at a young girl standing behind a bustling crowd in the distance.

Hinoka squinted. Somehow, the girl seemed familiar.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. At least the rest was good.”

“It’s been lovely so far, Hinoka.” Camilla smiled warmly. “I think you know what I’d like to do next.”

Hinoka returned her smile. She glanced in the direction of the Ferris wheel—

The young girl Camilla had pointed at was racing towards them.

“Auntie Hinokaaaa!”

“Huh? Who—”

The girl tackled Hinoka. Stumbling back, Hinoka realized who the kid was. Her perpetually beaming face and blonde-with-a-ginger-patch hair was unmistakable.

“Selkie! Did you come here with your dad?”

“Yep!” Selkie let go of Hinoka and bounced up and down. “Daddy went to get something to eat! I saw you, auntie, so I wanted to come over!”

“Does he know you’re here? You know he doesn’t like it when you wander off,” said Hinoka. She nudged Camilla. “Don’t worry, I’m not really her aunt. Just something we say for fun.”

“Aww, you’re supposed to be my auntie, not my mom!” Selkie puffed her cheeks up.

“Oh my, aren’t you adorable?” said Camilla, smiling pleasantly at Selkie.

Selkie cocked her head. “Who’re you?”

“Why, I’m your auntie Hinoka’s friend,” said Camilla. “A friend who kisses her, that is!”

Hinoka felt blood rising in her face. “Camilla—”

“Wow!” Selkie’s eyes glittered beneath the colourful lights. “Can you kiss for me? Pleeeeeeeeeease? I won’t tell anyone you did!”

Hinoka shook her head. “Sorry Selkie, we can’t. There’s too many people around to see us.”

“Aww,” said Camilla.

“Aww,” said Selkie.

Hinoka looked at Camilla, then at Selkie. Their disappointed expressions made the back of her neck feel hot. Her eyes moved to Camilla’s lips. “Well…maybe if it’s quick.”

Camilla licked her lips. Why did they have to be so magnetic?

Taking Camilla by the shoulders, Hinoka delivered a brief kiss.

 Selkie’s face lit up with euphoria. She leapt in her spot. “Yay! That was so cool!”

Hinoka felt her heart flutter. All the doubts she had had washed away the instant she saw Selkie’s elation, her hopeful smile. Pride was welling up; if she could kiss Camilla in the middle of the crowded fair, she could display public affection elsewhere.

“’Cool’ doesn’t begin to describe how I feel when I kiss your auntie, sweetie,” said Camilla.

“Will I grow up and get to kiss a pretty lady like you?”

Camilla laughed.

“I’m sure you will. You’re such a pretty girl, you know that?”

“She gets it from me!” said a voice. Hinoka turned to the source.

Kaden came up behind Selkie, licking an ice cream cone. He held a second cone out.

“Ah, you must be this girl’s father,” said Camilla.

Kaden grinned. “Yep, that’s me!”

“It’s good to see you, Kaden,” said Hinoka. Though his and Selkie’s appearance was about as welcome as Selena and Beruka’s, Hinoka found herself far more relaxed in the company of friends of her own.

“Yeah, you too!”

“Huh?” Selkie turned to face Kaden. “You got ice cream? You’re the best, Daddy!” Charging at her father, she snatched the cone away and began devouring it.

“Haha! Easy there, or you’ll throw up on the next ride!” said Kaden.

“He’s right,” said Camilla. “My younger sister once threw up after getting off the teacups, and she was not particularly happy afterwards.”

“I bet it was worth it! The teacups are the best!” Selkie licked her ice cream.

“Hey, have you done the haunted house yet?” asked Hinoka. “I bet you’ll like it.”

Selkie’s eyes widened. “No, we haven’t! Daddy, can we go into the haunted house?”

“Of course, sweetheart!” said Kaden, ruffling his daughter’s hair.

“All right!” Beaming once more, Selkie motioned towards the lineup. “Hurry, we have to go before the line gets too long!” And with that, she was off.

“Wait up, Selkie! You haven’t even finished your ice cream!” Kaden slowly walked backwards. “Sorry, I gotta go. By the way, don’t forget about the notes! I need ‘em!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t!” shouted Hinoka as Kaden darted away. Sharing her notes with Kaden had completely slipped her mind.

At least she and Camilla were alone once again.

Camilla wrapped her arm around Hinoka’s waist. “They seem kind. But…notes? Is he a student?”

“A mature student, yeah,” said Hinoka.

“Ah, I see.” Camilla nodded. “Now, shall we continue our way to the Ferris wheel?”

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Hinoka reached for Camilla’s hand—

“Hey, you two! Stop right there!”

 _God damn it! Why so soon after the others?_ Hinoka turned to the source of the voice: a woman, perhaps no older than twenty-five, stumbled towards them. She threw the beer bottle she held at the ground, sending shattered glass and alcohol everywhere. Her creased eyebrows made Hinoka’s stomach hot. “What do you want?”

The woman pursed her lips and said nothing.

What was the point of this? “Why’d you stop us? We’re going somewhere!”

“I can see that,” hissed the woman, “and it disgusts me.”

“Whoa, back up a minute.” Hinoka clenched her jaw. “What the hell have we done for you to say that?”

The woman pointed a shaky finger at Hinoka. “You know damn well what you did! I could’ve ignored it, but you went and kissed in front of a _child_! Do whatever you want, but not in front of a poor, innocent girl! People like you make me sick.”

“People like— what the hell is your problem?!?” Of _course_ someone else had to see her kissing Camilla. Of _course_ the person who saw had to be this way. It didn’t matter that she was inebriated. She glanced at Camilla, who mirrored her expression. There was no way this woman would ruin the night.

The woman scoffed. “Hmph! It’s not my problem. Ever since this country legalized marriage for you folks, you’ve been moving further and further away from the bedroom!”

“Oh, please.” Camilla’s eyes narrowed. “As pleasurable as it is, it’s not like every lady couple spends the entire time in bed.”

“I don’t care! That’s what you’re known for, and that’s what the kids will think if you’re getting all touchy-feely in public!” slurred the woman.

Taking a step forward, Hinoka glared. “If straight people are allowed to publically show their attraction, don’t you think we should be as well?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Too bad for you, then!” Hinoka stepped back and linked her arm with Camilla’s. “We’re going to keep doing stuff in public, whether you like it or not!”

A tinge of red crept upon Camilla’s face.

Snorting, the woman waved dismissively. “Suit yourself. I’m never coming back to this rotten fair. Child-corrupting urchins like you aren’t worth my breath.”

“We could say the same about you!” said Hinoka, balling her fists.

“Whatever! Enjoy whatever that thing you call ‘sex’ is and get the fuck outta of my sight,” said the woman.

Hinoka sprinted forward. “Why you—”

A hand clutched her wrist, lurching Hinoka backwards. Camilla stared at her and nodded.

“Camilla, what are you doing? Let me at ‘em!”

“Let me handle this, darling,” said Camilla. She pushed Hinoka back and stood as tall as she could. It was then that Hinoka truly noticed the difference in size between Camilla and herself.

Putting herself between Hinoka and the woman, Camilla slowly approached the latter. “I think,” she said, voice low and void of anything welcoming, “you should reconsider your offensive remarks. Or else.”

“Or else what?” The woman smirked. “Do your worst, pussy-eater.”

Hinoka slowly walked up next to Camilla, glancing at her from the side. Camilla smiled, though Hinoka could tell it didn’t contain any kindness. It was surreal, seeing her like this. All Hinoka had ever seen within Camilla’s smile was kindness, compassion, and the slightest bit of lust. Such a cold, cruel face was unimaginable on Camilla. It reminded Hinoka of the way Camilla had cracked her knuckles at the concert. She held her breath.

There was little distance between Camilla and the woman. Without any hesitation, Camilla raised her fist and slammed it against the woman’s cheek, sending her off to the side and to the ground. Lying on her side, the woman was motionless for a second before she blinked and stared around.

Hinoka gasped as she looked back and forth between Camilla and the woman. A few seconds passed before she truly registered what had happened. Indeed, Camilla had not remained idle, though Hinoka had not considered that she would defend herself physically. This is what the rumors about Camilla being ruthless probably meant. Hinoka was suddenly glad that she was on Camilla’s good side. Her stomach clenched; her mind crawled as she tried to focus on the current situation rather than jumping Camilla and taking her to bed the next moment she got.

Camilla stepped away from the woman and unclenched her fist. “…Or else I’ll give you a spanking. And I will _not_ hold back.”

Wobbling, the woman pushed herself back onto her feet. “Whatever. I like it when my boyfriend spanks me. It’ll just be more pleasure for me.”

“Oh? Are you perhaps less straight than you thought you were? You’re quite cute, you know…” purred Camilla. She unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.

“…Fuck you. I’m going home.” And with that, the woman teetered away.

It didn’t take long for Hinoka to notice that their conflict had attracted a group of bystanders. Most quickly looked away or had begun to head off. One man screamed, “Woo! Way to show ‘em!” before running off.

Sighing, Camilla shook her head. “Sorry about that, darling. People these days…”

“Oh god,” said Hinoka. “Who the hell was she? The next time I see her, I’m going to really give her a piece of my mind.”

“That’s my girl.” Camilla hugged Hinoka close.

Hinoka hugged Camilla back. “But…did you really think she’s cute?”

“Hmph! A woman who spouts homophobic nonsense like that is never truly cute. I’m sure she was straight and simply didn’t think her words through. You don’t have to worry, my dear.” Camilla gazed into the direction that the woman went. She looked back to Hinoka with the same icy smile she had used earlier. “What do you think, Hinoka? Do you think we should follow her and tell her about how dirty the fist I used gets?”

“L-Let’s not get too carried away,” said Hinoka, letting Camilla go. Relief spread through her body. She tried not to think about how Camilla had once alluded to fisting herself while thinking about Hinoka. “Forget about her. It’s finally time for us to get on the Ferris wheel.”

Camilla’s face softened, warmth returning to their features. “If you think so, I suppose you’re right. I wouldn’t want her to think I was serious, after all. You’re the only woman I want to give _that_ kind of attention to,” she purred.

At this point, it really was hard to take all of Camilla’s teasing. As they entered the Ferris wheel line, the woman was seemingly forgotten as Hinoka thought all about what she wanted from Camilla that night. She wanted to kiss her, kiss her in places that lay beneath Camilla’s barrier of clothing. It didn’t matter that Hinoka had never gotten intimate with another woman or that they hadn’t met each other in person for their majority of their time together. Hinoka genuinely felt like Camilla was the most incredible person she’d ever met, physically and personality-wise. She supposed it was yet another benefit of keeping in shape; though men seemed to care little for her toned legs, it wouldn’t be surprising if Camilla literally drooled over her physique.

How she wanted Camilla to examine her body.

“We’re nearly there!” said Camilla, knocking Hinoka out of her thoughts.

“Huh? Already?” Hinoka watched as a green haired man and a teenager entered the next cabin. “I mean, good! We’re next, right?”

“That’s right.”

A couple minutes later, another cabin stopped at the boarding area. Hinoka climbed inside and took a seat.

Camilla stood outside and scratched her chin. “Hmm…”

Hinoka frowned. She’d expected Camilla to come hurtling in. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Of course, darling.” Camilla entered the cabin and gave Hinoka a suggestive grin. “Could you scooch over for me, please?”

“Um…okay.” Moving over, Hinoka realized how small the seats were when Camilla crammed in next to her, rather than sitting across.

Camilla wrapped her arm around Hinoka. “The best seat in the house.”

The attendant closed the cabin door and let the ride move again.

“Ah, finally…” Leaning over, Camilla rested her head against Hinoka’s.

 _She’s so warm_ , thought Hinoka. She returned the favour, cuddling up against Camilla and nestling her head against her chest.

“You’re so cute when you’re affectionate,” said Camilla. “Why, I could stay like this until I fall asleep, so long as you’re here to keep me company.”

“I could say the same,” said Hinoka. “You smell so good, and you’re so soft. It’s like you’re one giant pillow, waiting for me to come and get comfy with it.”

“I’m so happy you think that way, Hinoka.” Camilla snuggled in even closer. “I think you smell like…sweat.”

“S-Sweat…?” Did she really smell like that?

“Don’t take it the wrong way, dear.” Camilla put her hand on Hinoka’s chest. “It’s charming in its own way. For you, darling, sweat means you’ve been working hard. And there’s nothing I like more than a hard working woman. Especially one like you…”

“Oh…well I guess it’s okay, then.”

Stroking Hinoka’s leg, Camilla let a pleasured breath out. “Mmm…my darling…I think I would like to sleep next to you, regardless of what happens before. To lay next to you and snuggle up…to remain in bliss for a long time.”

Though she wanted have sex as much as her companion did, Hinoka couldn’t help but feel the same. If this was comfortable, the idea of simply sleeping with one another was similarly pleasurable. “You know what, Camilla? I think I’d like that.”

They sat like that for several minutes, not bothering to move an inch. It wasn’t long before they had reached the top of the wheel. The starry sky was somewhat marred by clouds, though the city lights illuminated the city in a similar manner. Looking down at the bright fair, the people were like bees. They buzzed from attraction to attraction, making the occasional stop for food. A police officer paced near the wheel, presumably hunting for troublemaking teens.

 _This must be what it feels like to be calm,_ thought Hinoka. Calmness and relaxation, she found, was something that often evaded her. Having to worry about her family, her schoolwork, and her friends was difficult. And here she was, in a literal sphere of relaxation, next to the only person who had ever reciprocated her attraction. Hinoka’s mind screamed at her to not jump the gun; she pretended it wasn’t there. This was happiness, and it wasn’t something Hinoka was willing to let escape.

As the cabin began its descent, Hinoka wanted to kiss Camilla again, to show she’d rather be nowhere else.

“Can you…sit on the other side?”

“I don’t know, can I?” said Camilla, giggling.

Hinoka groaned. “You know what I meant.”

“But why? Don’t you like how we are?”

“More than anything,” said Hinoka. “But if you sit over there, it’s easier for us to kiss.”

Perking up immediately, Camilla stood and moved to the other side of the cabin in less than a second. A mock frown sat on her face. “Fine, we’ll have it your way.”

“Don’t sound so dejected.” Hinoka then noticed that Camilla still hadn’t done her shirt button up after the confrontation with the drunk lady. The sides of her breasts and the space between them was clearly visible. “H-Hey…your shirt’s undone.”

Camilla looked at her shirt and back to Hinoka. “Is it? Oops.”

“Do you mind fixing it?”

“Why? Are you afraid that you might want to stick your face between my breasts?”

“T-That’s—!” Hinoka hadn’t considered it before; now that Camilla had mentioned it, the idea of doing so was unexpectedly tantalizing.

“You’re so _red_.” Camilla tugged Hinoka towards her and into a deep kiss. Tongues glided across each other, seeking a pleasure that would only truly be obtained by going lower.

As their lips moved together, Hinoka noticed that she had placed a hand upon Camilla’s breast. She pressed it gently, rubbing her fingers along its soft surface.

Pulling away, Camilla grinned seductively. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.”

“What do you mean?” said Hinoka, removing her hand from Camilla’s breast.

“I mean, you wouldn’t be able to resist getting your hands on me.” Camilla pushed Hinoka back into her seat, rocking the cabin somewhat. She began to lick at Hinoka’s neck.

“C-Camilla…”

“I’ve got an idea,” said Camilla, licking higher and higher. “Let’s prove to that terrible woman that the thing we call sex is even more enjoyable than what _she_ thinks is sex. Come spend the night with me.”

“Yeah!” cried Hinoka. It came out louder than she’d intended; Camilla had begun to suck hard on the side of her neck. “I’d love to. W-What are you doing now?”

“Preparing you.”

Their eyes met, and Hinoka could see the lust Camilla’s contained. This was the face of someone who was desperate to _fuck_. The space between Hinoka’s legs began to ache. She knew then that she felt the same way, that she wanted to go at Camilla until both were panting from how hard and long they’d gone at each other, laying on each other in a mess of unkempt hair and sweat.

Hinoka took her phone out and texted Ryoma: _I’m not going to be home tonight, I’ll see you sometime tomorrow._

“Texting while I’ve got my lips on you? How unromantic,” said Camilla.

“Sorry, I’ll just be a second.” Hitting the send button, Hinoka pocketed her phone and let a squeak out as Camilla bit her chin. The cabin continued to go lower while Camilla went higher.

“That’s exactly what I want to hear,” said Camilla. She licked the saliva off of Hinoka’s lips and kissed her over and over.

As Hinoka reciprocated, the sensation beneath her groin became stronger and stronger. It was like she was in Camilla’s room already, ready to sit there and take her clothes off and envelop herself in the two greatest breasts she’d ever seen and feel hot wet skin slapping together in ecstasy and—

“You two! Pay attention when I’m talking!”

Camilla went completely still.

Hinoka slowly removed her lips and eyes from Camilla, heart pounding as she turned her attention to the source of the voice.

The cabin had reached the ground and its door was open. A police officer stood next to it, glaring at its occupants. “Step outside,” he said.

Heart rapidly increasing in speed, Hinoka followed Camilla out of the cabin. “Er…what’s the problem, officer?”  

“You,” said the officer, addressing Camilla. “We’ve got a report of a woman matching your description having punched another woman.”

Camilla blinked. The corner of her lips twitched. “What do you mean, officer?”

“I mean what I said.” The officer forced Camilla around and cuffed her.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” cried Hinoka.

“Officer, don’t you think this is a bit much? I’ll tell you everything you need right here,” said Camilla.

“No. We’re still looking, but so far we haven’t found the victim. Based on witness report, she seems to have fled the scene. While we continue searching, we’d like to you come to the station.”

Camilla glanced at the officer, then towards Hinoka. “I’m sorry, darling.”

“…Wait, you’re going without complaint? What the hell!” Hinoka felt her insides churn. Was Camilla really going to let herself be taken? No. This wasn’t happening. They were going to spend the rest of the night together, they were going to go to Camilla’s house, and they were going to fall asleep next to each other. “Let her go!”

“Quiet, you!” said the officer.

“Please, don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself,” said Camilla. “I’ll probably be out by tomorrow, just you wait and see.”

“But I don’t want you to go now!” Hinoka followed as the officer led Camilla to his car. “Weren’t we going to…?”

“Yes, of course. If I’d seen this happening, I would’ve suggested waiting longer. Again, I’m sorry, Hinoka.”

Biting her lip, Hinoka kept her eyes on Camilla. A mix of anger and guilt swirled inside. “…Fine. How do you suppose I’ll get home from here? Can I take your bike?”

“I don’t believe you own a motorcycle license, so unfortunately not,” said Camilla.

The police officer pushed Camilla into the car. He sat behind the wheel and started it up.

“Text me when you get out,” said Hinoka.

“Of course, darling.”

The car pulled out of the space it was parked in and sped off, letting its exhaust fill the air.

Kicking a rock across the pavement, Hinoka sighed and took her phone out. A text from Ryoma was on the screen: _Enjoy yourself_. She groaned; of course she had forgotten about texting Ryoma. _The problems keep on piling up, don’t they?_ After the events that had just transpired, going back home would be embarrassing. Possibly misleading, too. Even if Hinoka wasn’t entirely pleased at the moment, it didn’t mean that she wanted her family to doubt Camilla’s validity as a potential romantic partner. So long as Camilla didn’t stay in the detention center for an unreasonable amount of time, Hinoka found herself still hopeful.

She dialed Kaden.

“Kaden?”

“Hi, Hinoka! Are you having fun? Tonight’s been a blast! What’s up?”

“Uh, not a whole lot, actually.” How was she going to put this? “I know it’s late, but could stay at your place tonight? Some stuff happened.”

“Huh?!?” Kaden’s voice screeched out of the receiver, causing Hinoka to momentarily flinch. “What happened? Did she end up not liking you after all?”

“Oh, nothing like that!” said Hinoka. “But if I go home, my family will interrogate me, wondering why I didn’t stay with her. Please don’t tell anyone I stayed with you. Or that I was out on a date, while I’m at it. Even though my friends probably already told everybody…forget about it. Just that I didn’t stay with you, alright?”

Kaden sounded relieved. “Okay, as long as you’re okay. Don’t worry, I got your back!”

Hinoka’s heart began to relax somewhat. At least one issue was out of the way. “Thanks, Kaden. Maybe I can finally print those notes out for you. My brother insisted that I type them up, and I think I still have the email I sent myself. If you’re going to pay me back, this is what I want!”

“Got it! Selkie and I were going to leave soon anyway, so we’ll meet you in the parking lot in a few minutes!” He hung up.

Hinoka breathed in and out. She didn’t want to seem upset, not in front of Selkie. Despite her current feelings, she knew that she could go another night without being in Camilla’s embrace. If Camilla had to go to the station for a night in the name of protecting herself and Hinoka from an intoxicated woman, so be it.

Regardless, the night would be long and restless.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> Sorry for making you all wait an entire year;; More on that at the end. For now, a word of advice: hold on to your fucking hats, you'll need 'em.

Hinoka tossed and turned the entire night, her emotion-laden thoughts preventing her from sleeping. After settling down, she couldn’t help but consider everything that had happened. Why did the date have to end the way it did? It didn’t take long for her to realize that the emotional rush she felt as Camilla had been dragged off had tampered her judgement of the situation. Lying down for the night had put her into a very different mindset. She tried to push the thoughts away with little success.

By the time she managed to fall into a deep sleep, the sky had begun to brighten.

Light filtered into the room as Hinoka’s eyes slowly cracked open. For a moment, she failed to recognize her surroundings. The walls were coated in a tan paint, decorated with a tall mirror and a perfectly-aligned painting of a white fox. A large window was above the head of the bed, half covered by a blind. Where Hinoka expected to see clothes scattered over her carpet, the wooden floor was completely spotless.

This was Kaden’s guest room, wasn’t it?

Slowly the events of the previous night came back to her. Camilla had punched a woman after making some homophobic comments, hadn’t she? And afterwards, she’d been taken to the detention center by a police officer…what was before that?

Hinoka gazed into the mirror. Her eyes were drawn to a purplish mark on her neck. Suddenly she remembered how Camilla had sucked that spot, and how Hinoka herself had touched Camilla’s breast, and…

The space between her thighs quivered. It was hard to believe that something like that had happened. It was even harder to believe that had the later events not transpired, Camilla’s breasts likely wouldn’t have been the only parts Hinoka could touch. She felt somewhat guilty that these were the first thoughts to enter her mind. _Shouldn’t I be hoping she’s okay? It’s not that I’m not, but…_

A sense of discomfort settled in the pit of her stomach. As much as Hinoka didn’t want to admit it, it made sense that Camilla had been dragged off. With the amount of witnesses and how Camilla’s retaliation had made the woman fall – even if said woman was probably unsteady on her feet in the first place – it really shouldn’t have been as much as a surprise as it was. And Camilla’s rather mild reaction to being arrested in the first place…

It was as if she’d been arrested in the past. If she had been, what had she done previously? Were they like what happened last night, or worse?

The thought of it made Hinoka shudder. Camilla’s intentions were good, much better than the woman’s. Yet, since Camilla was caught in the guilty position, she would certainly be the one to receive the blame. Didn’t she care about how others might perceive her? People wouldn’t know her intentions just by looking at her. Given how forward she had acted in gaining Hinoka’s affections, Hinoka had figured that Camilla might act similarly pushy in other situations. At least when it came to what she wanted, anyway.  Hinoka knew that she herself would do the same thing depending on what the situation was, with a far less-calm demeanor. Was that really okay, though? Sure, some people deserved it, but it continued to create a sour feeling.

She checked her phone. Nobody had texted overnight.

 _All that matters is how Camilla treats me_ , thought Hinoka. The offending woman deserved it, no matter what way she looked at it. Even so, there was something flawed about the whole thing. Camilla’s insistence on handling a situation with an icy, lifeless demeanor like she had the night before wasn’t something Hinoka wanted to see again.

Kind and compassionate to the ones she loves, cruel and violent to the ones she hates. From what Hinoka could tell, it seemed as if the rumors that Azama told her contained some truth.

They still hadn’t known each other long. Maybe they really had rushed into things. Maybe whatever was between them wouldn’t work after all.

Maybe Hinoka could leave before it was too late.

But what if this was the first time Camilla had been arrested? What if she had only acted calm with the officer because she didn’t know what being arrested was like and genuinely thought things would work out? No, she was smarter than that. She had to be.

It was hard for Hinoka to make up her mind, but the most likely result was clear.

Her thoughts remained until the smell of pancakes and bacon became obvious.

Hinoka was suddenly aware of her wet her mouth was. She’d hoped to print Kaden’s notes out and leave before he woke up. It seemed like she would now have to stay for breakfast.

_Guess I should get them ready now…_

\--------

“…Six, and seven! Here you go!” Hinoka slid the notes across the table.

“Thanks!” said Kaden. He accepted the papers and nodded. “I’ll have to pay you back sometime!”

“You’ve already let me stay the night _and_ for breakfast, that’s enough,” said Hinoka, shoving some bacon into her mouth. Her mood had improved since leaving bed, though she continued to linger on last night’s events.

It was probably best not to talk about it. Better to keep her mind on the present happenings.

Kaden laughed as he placed a cup of tea in front of Hinoka. “I’m just messing with you! You already told me last night that this would be how I could pay you back.”

Hinoka sighed. “I should’ve expected this…”

“Me teasing you?”

“That too, I guess, but I was thinking about how last night ended,” said Hinoka.

Kaden’s eyes widened. “Huh? What do you mean?”

She felt herself breathe sharply. So much for keeping her thoughts in the present. “That slipped out. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Are you sure? Sometimes talking about what bothering you helps! And I won’t tell anybody, I promise.”

He had a point. No matter how much Hinoka tried to ignore it, the situation with Camilla probably wouldn’t go away on its own. Talking about it with someone who had previously been married, such as Kaden, might be helpful. She could trust him. Probably.

Hinoka sipped her tea and groaned. “Okay, fine. It’s…do you ever meet someone, think they’re awesome in all the right ways, then suddenly realize that something you thought was great about them actually isn’t so great?”

“Oh, sure. It’s sad when it happens,” said Kaden. He frowned. “Wait…are you having second thoughts about Camilla?”

“N-No! I mean, well, not exactly, but…I feel very unsure right now.”

“Oh, I see.” Kaden scratched his chin. “Maybe you should—”

“Daddy!” came a voice from upstairs. “When is Velouria coming to hang out? I wanna see her!”

“She’s on her way right now!” replied Kaden. “You should get your butt down here and eat before she gets here!”

The sound of feet running down the stairs made Hinoka even more anxious.

“A-Are you sure we should talk about this in front of her?” Hinoka had managed to remain strong in front of Selkie the previous night. She could do it again if she needed to.

“It’s okay, she’ll be fine if you want to talk about it still,” said Kaden. “After all, she knows full well what happened between her mom and me. She understands that this kind of thing happens.”

“Still, it might be kind of sad to hear about, especially since we kissed in front of her last night,” said Hinoka.

Kaden grinned. “Oh! I remember now. Yeah, that makes sense.”

Selkie zoomed past Hinoka, stuffing herself with bacon and eggs.

“Wow, you eat even faster than I do,” said Hinoka.

“It’s because I need to get big, strong, and beautiful!” Selkie grinned. “If I eat enough, I’ll be just like you and your friend that kisses you!”

“Oh, uh…” What the hell was she supposed to say? “She’s my friend right now, yeah, but I don’t really know what’s going to happen between us…”

Selkie’s eyes bulged. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

 _Damn it_. At this point, there was no avoiding talking about it in front of Selkie, either.

Hinoka explained the concerns she had upon waking up. Careful not to mention that Camilla had been taken to the detention center, she told Kaden how she felt the best she could. Some bits were removed due to Selkie’s presence. Hinoka figured that she had managed to express her thoughts well enough anyhow.

A sniffling sound came from Selkie.

“I’m so sorry, Selkie,” said Hinoka, patting her on the head. “There’s…always the chance things won’t change.”

“B-But you seem so worried!”

Hinoka said nothing.

Kaden raised an eyebrow. “So, uh…I know you said she’s your ‘friend’, but…seeing as you do things people who are just friends don’t normally do, what exactly is she to you, anyway? Your girlfriend?”

Girlfriend? Was that what Camilla was? It was then Hinoka realized she hadn’t stopped to consider exactly what Camilla was to her. A friend? A friend with benefits? A romantic partner? Or maybe…a mere fling? No, they had bonded further than that. Right…?

“You know what? I have absolutely no idea.”

“I…see.” Kaden shook his head. “You’ll probably have to talk this out with her. Doesn’t seem like there’s anything else you can really do.”

“Ngh…” What other choice was there? No matter how much Hinoka wanted to run, she couldn’t. Despite her discomfort, she didn’t want to be unfair to Camilla. “I guess that makes sense.”

After a moment of silence, Kaden smiled. “Hey, cheer up. Whether you stick with her or leave, at least it wasn’t all bad, yeah? It’s a learning experience!”

“Do you really think so?”

“Absolutely! Even if things don’t work, sometimes good things still come out. Selkie is living proof!” Kaden pat Selkie’s head, making her giggle. “You’ll find the right person someday, Hinoka. I believe in you!”

“Hmm…you know, I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it that way before,” said Hinoka. “What do you think, Selkie?”

Selkie wiped her tears away. She grinned. “Well…it’s sad, but I’ll be happy if you are, Auntie!”

Hinoka smiled back. She could do this. At least she’d have friends to support her. “I can’t say I’m any more confident right now, but…I’ll talk to her as soon as I can. Both of you sure know how to put a smile on my face. Thanks, you guys.”

“You’re welcome!” said Kaden and Selkie in unison.

A knock sounded from the front door.

“I’ll get it!” Selkie ran to the door. Upon opening it, her face lit up. “Velouria!”

In walked another young girl. She wore a somewhat ratty red coat, which she didn’t bother to take off as she entered. “Hi, Selkie.”

Selkie took Velouria’s hand. “Quick, come with me! I need to show you a new game I learned!”

“O-Okay, if you say so!” Velouria followed Selkie up the stairs.

A man with a spiky mullet entered shortly afterwards. “Hey, Kaden! Where are you!”

“Keaton! You’re on time for once!” Kaden walked over and pat the man on the shoulder.

“Aww, come on! You know I always TRY to be on time— Kaden, who is that?” He pointed at Hinoka. “You, with the wrinkly clothes!”

“I—Huh?” _Are they really that wrinkly?_

“Don’t tell me, you’re here to seduce my boyfriend, aren’t you?”

Hinoka was dumbfounded. “E-Excuse me?”

“Keaton, no! You got it all wrong!” Kaden waved his hands.

As they spoke, Hinoka felt her pocket vibrate. She pulled out her phone and read the message:

 **\--[9:37 AM] Cam:**  Hey sweetie, I’m free! Sorry about last night. Meet me at Vaike’s for a workout in an hour?

Wait, what?

Camilla was out already? Really?

“Your name’s Hinoka, right? Is it true that you’re not after my Kaden?”

“What? Of course not!” There was too much happening. Hinoka need to leave. Right now.

“Hmm…okay, I choose to believe you!”

 _That was fast!_ “Uh, okay…”

Kaden pat Hinoka’s shoulder. “Sorry, he’s kind of weird. Why don’t you stick around for a bit? You and Keaton could get to know each other a little. How about it?”

Keaton scratched his cheek. “Sure, why not? And don’t listen to him! I’m not weird, I swear!”

“Sorry, next time. I need to go,” said Hinoka. “I just got a text from…a certain someone.”

“Ooh! You’d better get to it, then!” said Kaden.

After they exchanged goodbyes, Hinoka left the house. Though her heart pounded with uncertainty and anxiety, she knew she had to meet with Camilla right away.

She raced home as quickly as possible, oblivious to the world around her. In her sea of uncertain thoughts, Hinoka had forgotten that Camilla had aimed to be out by the next day. How exactly did she figure something like that could happen? She really must’ve been through something similar before. There wasn’t any other plausible explanation that Hinoka could think of.

Unless she had escaped. Hinoka didn’t want to think about that.

When Hinoka reached her house and saw no cars in the driveway, she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. She had been so focused on Camilla that she had not stopped to think if anyone else were home. It was a weekday, meaning that Ryoma was working. Takumi and Sakura were likely at school. They’d still probably believe her if she said she’d stayed overnight at Camilla’s; her clothes were the same as she wore the night before, and her neck hickey was even more telltale.

Regardless, running into her family was not something Hinoka wanted to deal with right now. Entering the house, she saw that there was nobody on the main floor. Thankfully, there was nobody on the second floor either.

Hinoka’s room was unfortunately in the same state it had been when she left the previous day. Shirts, pants, and clothes that didn’t fit any more were strewn everywhere. Cleaning would happen later…probably. She picked various articles of clothing off the floor, checking each one to see if it would be suitable for a workout. Eventually Hinoka settled on some mildly torn shorts and an old t-shirt.

She would take the bus. There was no time to go on foot.

\---------

The gym was less busy than Hinoka expected it to be. Aside from a woman flipping through a magazine at the counter, a man running on an elliptical, and a group of teenage girls poking at a treadmill, there was practically nobody there. In a setting like this, Camilla should’ve been easy to spot.

Yet, as Hinoka glanced around the gym, Camilla was nowhere in sight.

 _I wonder if I’m early_. Hinoka wandered around the gym. She passed a weight machine, briefly considering using it in the meantime. Muscle memory took control when she adjusted the weight to her liking. Laying on the machine and gripping the mechanism, Hinoka began to pull.

Working out was typically therapeutic. Doing so helped Hinoka relax somewhat, though her mind remained fixated on what would happen soon. Could she really do this? Could she really tell Camilla how she felt? Whether Hinoka stayed with or left her would likely depend on the oncoming conversation.

Several minutes passed. No sign of Camilla.

 _Where the hell is she?_ The longer she waited, the more anxious Hinoka felt. After about ten minutes overall, she thought about switching over to the elliptical—

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinoka noticed Camilla enter the gym. Shutting her eyes, she tried not to pay attention to Camilla as she approached.

“Working out without me? I suppose I can forgive you, just this once,” said Camilla, giggling. “You’ve got quite the high amount of weights stacked there, haven’t you?”

“I don’t normally have this many, but I felt like I needed it today.” Hinoka stood, wiping sweat off her forehead.

“Oh, dear. Are you stressed? Let me help you feel better.”

“I think I’m good—”

Camilla’s lips were suddenly against Hinoka’s. Hinoka shuddered as she tried to not think about how the kiss made her heart soar. She couldn’t tell whether it was from elation or anxiety.

Releasing Hinoka, Camilla grinned. “Did you miss me?”

“I…uh…” Hinoka looked over to the teenage girls. They stared momentarily before going back to whatever they were discussing before that.

“Hinoka?”

“C-Camilla! Why did you do that?” hissed Hinoka. “Those girls over there saw us!”

Camilla glanced at the girls, then back at Hinoka. “If you’re concerned about someone provoking or ratting on us, I don’t think anything will happen this time.”

“But don’t you remember what happened last night at all?”

Camilla sighed. She pat Hinoka’s shoulder. “Of course I do. That’s what I’m here to talk to you about.”

Hinoka raised an eyebrow. “So? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I’m so sorry, Hinoka,” said Camilla. “Last night turned out far different than either of us expected, I know. But I want you to know that I didn’t stop thinking about how you were affected by all of this, not for a second.”

Hinoka shook her head. “I’m flattered, but forget about me for a minute. Tell me what happened. Did you find out which dastard ratted on you?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Camilla took Hinoka’s hand and rubbed it. “I don’t know what happened to the woman I delivered justice to, either. I’m not even sure if the police managed to track her down. We should probably just forget about her. I made it out as fast as I possibly could.”

“You…you didn’t break out, did you?”

Camilla dropped Hinoka’s hand and grimaced. “I— no, Hinoka. Do you really think I’d do something like that?”

“Well…I don’t know. For all I know, you could’ve. It’s not like we know each other that well.”

“I…see. That makes sense, I suppose.” Camilla’s face became indifferent. Iciness was not present. Not yet, at least. It made Hinoka shiver.

There was no backing down now, though.

Hinoka took a deep breath. “Never mind that. There’s something I’ve had on my mind. A few things, actually. First, how on earth did you know you’d be out today? What if you were wrong? What if you had been convicted? What if— what if you were stuck in there for who knows how long?”

“There’s no point to wondering ‘what if’ at this point,” said Camilla. “The only thing that matters now is that we’re here and together now, don’t you think? I can hardly bear the thought of what could have happened myself. To be away from school, my family, and _you_ is the last thing I want.”

“R-Right…” Hinoka took a step back. “Then…how did you get off?”

“My, Hinoka. I’m surprised that wasn’t the first thing you asked,” said Camilla. “It was quite simple, really. My interrogators were sympathetic towards why I did what I did. If you’re going to be held in detention, officers Benny and Charlotte can either be your best friends or worst enemies. Trust me, darling; I’ve been around the block more than once.”

“Around…the block? Does that mean you’ve been arrested before?”

With a low gasp, Camilla put a hand over her mouth. “Ah. I didn’t mean to say that, but…I can’t lie to you. Yes, yes I have.”

 _So she really has been_ …Hinoka felt her eye twitch. “So, you’re telling me you only got off because you just so happened to know a couple of people there?”

Camilla sighed. “Well, not exactly, but…essentially, yes. I could’ve very well had different officers grilling me, and perhaps that would’ve ended differently. Even then, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, since my family is wealthy enough to bail me out as soon as possible.”

Hinoka could only stare. She barely registered the heat creeping into her face. “Y-You…”

“Um…darling? Are you alright?” Camilla reached over once again.

Balling her fists, Hinoka turned away from Camilla. “You mean to tell me that you relied on chance? And that if you didn’t get off, you’d only be free thanks to your money? From what it sounds like, you didn’t plan on telling me, either. What the hell!”

Camilla grabbed Hinoka’s shoulders and turned her around. “Listen to me. Relax. It really isn’t that big of a deal.”

“You know what? No!” Hinoka shook Camilla off her. She glared at Camilla. “Being arrested multiple times is a big deal! You can’t just go and tell me that you’ve been arrested more than once and was only let off so easily because you _happen_ to know someone in there! And now you’re telling me that this isn’t a big deal? How could you expect me to be relaxed in a situation like this?”

Rolling her eyes, Camilla crossed her arms. “Oh, please. You were so happy with what I’d done last night. Not to mention, willing to wait for my release. Why are you sour now?”

“I wasn’t thinking properly last night! Not after you’d made a big deal of what we’d planned to do!”

Camilla narrowed her eyes. “I really don’t understand why this matters so much to you. I’ve been arrested more than once. So what? It’s not like I’ve killed anybody.”

“That doesn’t exactly make me feel comfortable. Tell me why you’ve been arrested in the past.”

“Are you sure you’re ready to hear about it?”

“That makes me feel even less comfortable!” Hinoka stormed over to a punching bag, hitting it as hard as she could.

Camilla moved to stand beside Hinoka. “Is this because we didn’t get busy last night? Don’t blame me, blame the—”

“That’s not what this is about!” Hinoka punched faster. She never stopped hitting it, not even for a second. It was the only thing keeping her sane in that moment. “This is about you having been to jail more than once, now for reasons that you apparently need to ask me if I’m ready for!”

“You’re incredibly stubborn, you know that?” said Camilla. Her face took on a tinge of red. “I choose not to take a sentence for your sake, and this is how you repay me?”

“Well excuse me if I don’t want the company of a jailbird that’s committed who-knows-what!” yelled Hinoka, kicking the punching bag.

Camilla took a step forward. “Hinoka, I can assure you that I am _not_ a jailbird. It’s not like I’ve been arrested _that_ many times. This is the fifth time, and it’s been the first time I’ve been under suspicion in about five years. I’m twenty-four, Hinoka. I’m not the same person I used to be.”

The more Camilla tried to convince Hinoka that the situation was fine, the harder she hit the punching bag. “Five times? Give me a goddamn break! That’s still way more than most people! And how exactly do I know you’re not lying about that number, how long it’s last been, or what?”

“You’re going to have to trust me on this, Hinoka!”

“Hey, you two! Take it somewhere else! Some of us want to exercise in peace!” came a male voice.

“Leave us the fuck alone if you know what’s good for you!” growled Camilla.

“If you don’t stop, I’m calling the manager!”

“I’d like to see you try!”

Hinoka turned to see the man who was previously on the elliptical looking her way. She opened her mouth to retort—

The punching bag slammed Hinoka, sending a sharp pain through her body. She fell backwards, barely avoiding hitting her head as she tumbled to the ground. Clutching her waist, Hinoka moaned.

Camilla’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! Are you alright?” She kneeled next to Hinoka.

“I’m _fine_ ,” said Hinoka. She winced as she pressed her hand to her stomach. “Urgh!”

“You are obviously not fine! Can you stand?”

Slowly pushing herself up, Hinoka wobbled as she stood upright. She instantly clutched herself once more. The pain made her want to vomit. “I’m not done with you yet, I hope you realise.”

“Let’s stop fighting for now, Hinoka. You should lay down and take it easy for a bit.”

“And just where do you expect me to do that?”

Twirling her hair, Camilla looked away. “Well…you could always lay down at my house. It isn’t very far from here.”

Hinoka limped as she tried to move away from Camilla. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Why would I want to go to your house? Do you really think I want to go anywhere with you right now, _especially_ alone?”

“Oh, but darling, we’d be there in a flash! I picked my motorcycle up before coming here, which is why I was late. Please, Hinoka? Just for a little bit?”

“No, Camilla! I’ll be better soon. You might as well leave now.”

Camilla smirked. “Oh, but I thought you weren’t done with me yet, hmmm?”

“I’m not!” shouted Hinoka. “You can leave, but not out of my sight! Not until I’m through with you!”

Furrowing her brow, Camilla shook her head. “Hinoka, let me ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you trust me? At all?”

Hinoka snorted. “I thought I did. After hearing that you’ve been arrested five times? Now I’m not so sure.”

“I don’t believe you. Seems you trust me enough to believe that I’ve been arrested those five times, at the least.”

“Only because I watched you get into a police car last night!”

“Then if seeing is believing, why can’t you try trusting me one more time?”

“Why are you so fucking persistent? I don’t want to go to your house!”

“Hinoka, I suggest you be quiet and let me take care of you. I really don’t want to go down this road with you.”

“Stop! I refuse to—”

“Excuse me, but I’m going to have to ask the two of you to leave now. Or else.”

Both turned towards the voice. A tall, somewhat older yet still muscular man stood in front of them. He looked somewhat like a man Hinoka had seen on a concert poster years ago. On his shirt was a badge that read “Frederick, Manager”. His crossed arms complimented his stern face.

“Or else what?” said Hinoka.

“If you don’t, both of your membership privileges will be revoked.”

“Why, you…” If there was one thing that wasn’t going to happen today, it was losing access to this gym. Hinoka glanced at Camilla. Her nostrils flared as she opened her mouth to say something; no words came out. She looked towards the gym’s entrance.

“Well? Are you leaving or not?”

“…Let’s take this outside,” said Hinoka.

“No, you will not take it simply outside,” said Frederick. “You will take it away from this gym completely. I won’t let this business suffer because of some lover’s quarrel.”

Camilla laughed curtly. She began to walk towards the entrance. “Are you coming, _darling_?”

“Don’t test me.”

As Hinoka followed Camilla out of the gym, her stomach churned. It ached every time she took a step, threatening to spill its contents. Once they exited the gym, Hinoka spat onto the pavement. It took every part of her to keep moving at a steady pace as they headed for the parking lot.

“It’s obvious to me that you’re still in pain,” said Camilla. “You should be thankful that I still want you to feel better after how ungrateful you’ve been acting, Hinoka. I’ll suggest it again: come to my house so you can lay down.”

“Have I not made it clear by now that I’m not interested? There are plenty of places I can sit nearby, like on a bench or something.”

“You should sit somewhere soft.”

“Then I’ll sit on a soft chair in a coffee shop. You’ll come with me wherever I go so we can continue our argument.”

“And get kicked out of the coffee shop? Hinoka, please try to be somewhat reasonable,” said Camilla. “If we go to my place, it will give us a more private place to talk, too.”

“Camilla, give up,” grumbled Hinoka. “Seriously. When will you let go of this idea?”

“Not until you agree or find something better, and I doubt you will.”

“Gee, I don’t know, how about I go back to my house and lay down? There’s an idea.”

“But if I’m there, that’s still you and I alone in a private setting.”

 _Damn it, she’s right_ …Hinoka wanted more than anything to leave in that moment and not speak to Camilla at all. The thought of being alone in a room with Camilla made her shudder. Her stomach clenched at the realization that anger and fear were not the only feelings building inside of her at the thought. She ignored that extra feeling; she had come with a purpose, and that purpose was going to be fulfilled no matter how it ended. It was probably easier to simply give in and take Camilla’s offer.

But what if Camilla wanted to do something to her? With the pain in Hinoka’s stomach, she would be somewhat handicapped if Camilla dared to do anything physical.

“Say something, Hinoka. I thought you were the one who wanted to continue fighting, after all.”

“Are you trying to creep me out, saying something about being alone in private? If I go _anywhere_ alone with you, how do I know you’re not gonna do something to me?”

“Since you don’t trust me apparently, I don’t suppose you can.”

Hinoka briefly met Camilla’s eyes; they did not contain any hint of the malice they had contained the previous night. It was strange; how could one person, so often gentle and caring, turn around and inflict violence the next moment? How could someone like that potentially commit crimes that caused enough anxiety to warrant a warning before saying them? Regardless, the lack of a chill in Camilla’s eyes calmed Hinoka ever so slightly.

It would have to do for now.

“Okay. Fine. But only because I want a bed to lay on.”

Camilla furrowed her brow. “Really, now? I don’t understand. You were so adamant before.”

“Make no mistake, I’m not doing this because I want to. Let’s just go. I don’t want to talk to you until we get to wherever the fuck you live.”

“…Very well.”

The motorcycle was in one of the closest parking spots. It was covered in several dents that weren’t there the previous night, likely made by teens who thought it would be fun to cause damage to someone else’s property. Hinoka was surprised that the bike hadn’t been stolen overnight.

Camilla motioned to the motorcycle. “You first.”

Hinoka wordlessly sat down. She took a helmet and put it on her head.

Climbing on behind, Camilla reached her arms past Hinoka as she worked the motorcycle. For once, the feeling of their bodies touching did not excite her.

“Why are you sitting behind me?”

“Because it’s a big motorcycle, you’re small enough for me to reach around, and this way there’s less of a chance of you falling and dying.”

“For crying out loud, Camilla, I’m a grown woman! I’m not going to die!”

“Everyone dies someday,” said Camilla, revving up. “Some people in more gruesome ways than others. At least if you fall, I’ll fall with you.”

Hinoka rolled her eyes. “Do you really want to die for me?”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Now, didn’t you say you didn’t want to talk until we got home?”

They rode in silence. The rumbling of the motorcycle upset Hinoka’s stomach somewhat. However, she found herself more concerned with how Camilla’s body wrapped around hers. Though it continued to remain unexciting, it was somehow inviting; Hinoka found herself leaning into Camilla.

It was comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that Hinoka suddenly felt even more uncomfortable to be in Camilla’s grip. She hoped the ride would be over soon.

Nohr’s dilapidated homes came into view before long. As Camilla entered the neighbourhood, Hinoka began to feel even more uneasy. The motorcycle bumped as it crossed the cracks in the road, sending dirt into the air. It was so much different from the clean-paved, grassy boulevards of Hoshido. During their pass-through, Hinoka noticed that the middle of the neighbourhood was somewhat less uninviting; the roads were less damaged and the houses were slightly more intact.

Camilla slowed down as they approached a house and into the driveway. Unlike the others, the house wasn’t dilapidated in the slightest. It was, in fact, rather clean; there was some grass on the lawn, no broken windows, no hint of poverty.

“I thought your house would look larger than this,” said Hinoka.

“Much of our money is spent on assets elsewhere,” said Camilla. She clicked a switch on the top of the motorcycle, opening the garage. “It might not be as impressive as something like a mansion, but it works. You can’t have something like that here without it being the target of burglary, and even then we still need to be on our guard.”

Parking the motorcycle in the garage, Camilla led Hinoka into the house, taking her in through the garage and up the stairs into her bedroom. Hinoka hardly bothered to take the details of the room in; it was larger than her own. It contained a queen-sized bed, a vanity, a small nightstand that appeared to have some sheets of latex on top, a sewing table with a matching chair, and a clothes drawer. One side of the room was a closet in its entirety. Various handicraft items covered the walls (including one that said “Bless every woman in this room”), making it seem like the room belonged to a grandmother rather than a twenty-four year old university student.

Hinoka instantly collapsed onto the bed. She propped herself up against a collection of pillows.

Camilla took a seat next to her. “So. Do you want to sleep, or is there something else that cannot wait until both of us are calmer?”

 “If we wait, I might not be able to say what I’ve been wanting to say,” said Hinoka. Even if they had been somewhat soothed on the way over, flames continued to burn inside of her.

“And why wouldn’t you? You’ve already proven to me that you like to say _exactly_ what’s on your mind.”

“It’s kind of hard to explain. Hopefully I can make myself clear by the end of this.” Hinoka rolled over to face Camilla. “So you live in Nohr. I’m not surprised.”

“How do you expect me to respond to that? I either live somewhere or I don’t,” said Camilla.

“Yeah, well, now that I know what you’re like, living in a neighbourhood like this isn’t surprising to me,” said Hinoka. “I understand the rumors about you now. You really are cruel to everyone other than people you like, aren’t you?”

“I’m cruel to people who _deserve_ it,” spat Camilla. “Rumors are such childish things. I don’t know why people who don’t even know me even bother to do something so foolish, if that’s what they really believe about me.”

“Seems to me like they have lots of reason to trust in them,” said Hinoka. “You still haven’t told me— why have you been arrested multiple times? And I don’t want you to ask me if I’m ready, or pull some other shit!”

“Please, Hinoka. I expected better of you. You seem to have noticed where I live, after all. Fighting is often a necessity in this neighbourhood, especially when you’re from a family as comparatively affluent as mine. You can’t live here without getting into a few scuffles with other inhabitants, some more physical than others.”

“So what? If the only things you’ve done are as minor as that, I’m sure you’d have told me about it back when I first asked. Speaking of which, how many more times must I ask? You still haven’t told me exactly what you’ve been arrested for!”

“Hinoka, please don’t make me tell you. I’m afraid you’ll think badly of me for it.”

“You already started to make me think badly of you back at the gym! And you avoiding the question isn’t helping!”

“You won’t just think badly of me for it,” said Camilla. “You might never want to speak to me again after I say it.”

“I don’t care! Tell me!”

“Hinoka. Don’t push this any further.”

“Camilla, if you don’t tell me right now, I’m going to—”

“ENOUGH!”

Abruptly standing, Camilla’s eyes leered into Hinoka’s own. Hinoka could no longer tell whether they contained light or darkness. She hadn’t previously noticed her already rapid heartbeat; now, though, it was if a drill was boring through her chest from the inside.

Camilla clenched her fists. “I’ve had it with you. An ungrateful little pest is what you are. I thought you were different, Hinoka, but it seems like you’re as bad as everyone else I’ve bothered to try getting to know. Just because I’ve committed a few crimes shouldn’t mean that I’m a detestable person.”

“Yeah, well if you weren’t so goddamn casual about it—”

“Casual? You’re the one who’s trying to force me to tell you why I’ve been arrested!”

God damn it, why couldn’t Camilla see? “If you want me to restore any of my trust in you, you need to tell me!”

“And if I continue to refuse?”

“Then I’m done with you! I refuse to contact you, I don’t want to see you again!”

“You know what, Hinoka? I hate you! I wish I had never met you!”

A surge of heat gathered in Hinoka’s face. “Camilla, I wish you could’ve been convicted and rotted in prison for the rest of your miserable life!”

Camilla’s face froze with shock.

Hinoka’s heart suddenly stopped. The words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she had said. What was wrong with her? Why the hell had Hinoka said that—

No, why the hell did saying it make Hinoka feel like a piece of shit? Why did it make her want to take it all back? She had been absolutely livid moments before, rightfully so; why did she suddenly feel like she had crossed the line?

“Oh…oh no…Camilla, I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean it, I…”

Camilla said nothing. She blinked and looked away.

A single tear made its way out of Hinoka’s eye. Another followed. Soon, several tears were rolling down Hinoka’s face. She put her face in her hands. “C-Camilla…I really don’t know what came over me just now…oh god, I’m so sorry…”

Placing a hand on Hinoka’s head. Camilla sighed. “No, you’re right. Someone like me shouldn’t be out and about, terrorizing people like you…”

“Camilla…no…”

“You want me to tell you? Fine. But don’t say I never warned you.”

Hinoka raised her head. After some hesitation, she nodded.

“Most of my crimes were either small, petty things, or for justice, like how I handled the situation with the woman last night. But one time I went because…” Camilla stared at the floor.

“Please, Camilla. What was it?”

“…Because I nearly killed someone.”

Hinoka’s body went numb. Now Camilla’s initial refusal made sense. “H-How…why…”

Camilla clenched her fists. “It wasn’t intentional at first. I just wanted to protect the girl I was with. I loved her more than anyone else at the time. She was an awful lot like you, you know. Stubborn and set in her ways.”

“That’s...” Hinoka began to sniffle. “W-What’s the rest of the story?”

“You see, as much as I loved her, she had a boyfriend. A boyfriend she loved more than anyone else in the world. They had gotten into an argument in front of me. Eventually, he shoved her, and I…I started to hit him, hit him until he apologized. But even after the threat had gone, I couldn’t stop hitting him. Somehow, being violent gave me a thrill I couldn’t help. There’s a unique feeling you get when you know you’re about to commit murder that I can’t describe. The only reason I stopped was because the girl made me come to my senses. Later, I thought, ‘What if I do this to someone I love? What if someone angers me so much that I can’t help but hurt them?’ Even though he survived, the girl was still upset…part of me wanted to hurt her, too, because she continued to stand by him.”

Tears spilled even faster from Hinoka’s eyes.

“Oh, Hinoka…how I wish I you didn’t have to hear about this. The case was covered up, though the rumors persisted. I really tried to kill him, and I…I would’ve, had I not been stopped,” said Camilla. A tear rolled down her cheek. “It was a long time ago. It’s not something I particularly enjoy thinking about. The man deserved it, but…to possibly hurt someone I love so much…it’s unthinkable. And yet, I know I’m capable of doing it…that’s why you’re right. It’s why I need to stay in prison for a long, long time.”

Hinoka burst into a sob. She wasn’t sure why. Fear? Sorrow? Both?

“Don’t cry for me,” said Camilla. “I don’t deserve it.”

Leaping from her spot, Hinoka hugged Camilla as hard as she could.

Camilla hugged back. “Hinoka. I am so sorry for everything. It’s just that…I like you, and I…I have some severe attachment issues in general. I’ve been trying to work on them, I really have. Though it hurts me more than anything to say it – and trust me, I don’t admit this to just anyone – I understand if you want nothing to do with me.”

“I-Idiot…”

“H-Hinoka? What do you mean?”

“I mean me,” said Hinoka. She spoke between sobs. “You’ve dropped something incredibly big on me, and I feel like I should be angry, scared or, or… _something_. But…I can’t. It feels so wrong, and I can’t stop myself. I’m…I glad you told me, though. Thanks.”

“You’re…welcome,” said Camilla. Her voice faltered somewhat.

“Do you really hate me, Camilla?”

“No. I don’t hate you…not one bit.”

Tightening her hold on Camilla, Hinoka couldn’t help but want to stay where she was. She could feel tears that weren’t her own landing on her head, along with Camilla’s hand rubbing her back. They remained in their position for what seemed like hours.

A sharp laugh escaped Hinoka’s lips.                

Pulling away, Camilla frowned. “What are you laughing about?”

“Nothing, nothing,” said Hinoka. “I was thinking…we really did rush into things, didn’t we?”

“I see,” said Camilla. She laughed weakly. “You’re absolutely right about that, darling.”

Hinoka took Camilla’s hand and traced circles into it with her finger. “Honestly, Camilla? When I got to the gym, I wanted us to break up whatever…this thing between us is today.”

Camilla smiled wistfully. Her eyes were warm, genuine. “Perhaps breaking it off would not be such a bad idea. When I say I never want to hurt you, I mean it. If you stay with me any longer than you already have…and let me grow more attached to you than I already am…I don’t know what lengths I might go to prevent you from leaving me in the future.”

A chill ran down Hinoka’s spine. A nervous excitement made its way into her system. “Sounds like I should leave before it’s too late. But…I really don’t know how to feel right now. Maybe I need to settle down a bit and consider it more; it’s been a hectic past couple of days, don’t you think?”

“Hinoka…” Camilla kissed Hinoka’s forehead. “You’re far too good to me, you know?”

“Nah. You’re the one who’s too good to _me_ ,” said Hinoka. “I mean, well, you were kind of a jerk earlier, but so was I. Overall, you’ve done a lot of nice stuff for me. All I’ve done is yell at you and try to reject your help.”

“How can you say that, when you’ve made me the happiest I’ve been for a long time? It may not seem like it, but I don’t have as many suitors as some might think,” said Camilla. “If we don’t continue this, then at least it was a fun ride.”

“Somehow, I get the feeling that whatever we do will work out,” said Hinoka. She giggled. “The way I’m feeling now…I wonder if my outburst really was motivated what you suggested back at the gym.”

“Hmm?”

“About not sleeping together last night,” said Hinoka. Saying it out loud suddenly made the blood rush to her cheeks.

“Oh, really?”

“Y-Yeah.” God, this was embarrassing. “Pathetic. You tell me about your past, your worries…and yet, all I seem to care about is busting a nut. No wonder my emotions are all over the place right now. I’d hoped you meant a whole lot more than that to me, but my body seems to have other ideas.”

“Is that such a wrong thing to feel, Hinoka?”

“Well…I don’t know. I’m not used to having feelings like this. It’s like…I always thought I would have a relationship with the person I lost my virginity to. Not to someone who’s just a fling. If…that’s what this is, anyway.” She hadn’t put much thought into her sex or love life previously, choosing to mostly go with the flow. As Hinoka thought this, her crotch began to ache.

“Perhaps you’re right,” said Camilla. “Maybe this is just a fling. Maybe we’re simply two stressed girls desperate for sex…if that’s the case, then is it really so bad? After all, if we really do feel that way about each other…there’s nothing to lose, right?”

“That’s the problem. I really don’t know how I feel about it,” said Hinoka. “We’ve got some kind of connection outside of this, haven’t we? We have similar interests— what about Woleb Tsap? Our gym?  What about everything else we’ve talked about over the past month, in person and on the phone? How about the way we felt last night before things turned to shit?”

Camilla paused. “Hmm…you’re right that we’ve got plenty of similarities. Perhaps too many. That kind of relationship can sometimes be detrimental, you know.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hinoka’s crotch continued to ache. It was then that she realized that she hadn’t gone to the bathroom since before she left Kaden’s house. “Uh, wait. Do you mind holding onto that thought for a moment? I need to use the washroom.”

“Oh, alright. It’s down the hall to the right,” said Camilla.

“Cool. Thanks.” Hinoka exited the room and entered the washroom. It wasn’t until she sat on the toilet that she realized how soaked her underpants were. There wasn’t simply a wet spot, either; they were completely drenched in Hinoka’s juices.

Lightly touching the space between her thighs, a tingling sensation ran through Hinoka. Her body needed release, and it needed it right now. Whether Hinoka’s relationship with Camilla went deeper than a fling was irrelevant right now.

Returning to the room, Hinoka stopped in her tracks.

Camilla sat on the bed, wearing a completely different outfit. The top she wore was completely unbuttoned, giving Hinoka a nearly complete view of her breasts. A short skirt had replaced her pants. One of her legs hung off the bed, while the other was positioned as such that Hinoka caught a glimpse of the prize under the skirt.

Hinoka felt a tug in her loins. “C-Camilla?”

“Shut the door, darling. We don’t want any unfortunate interruptions, now do we?”

Gently closing the door, Hinoka couldn’t take her eyes off the woman in front of her. “D-Did you somehow notice how hot I was getting?”

“Darling, the scent of your arousal has been rather fierce,” said Camilla. She chuckled. “In fact, I doubt you’ll even need foreplay.”

“What if I want foreplay, though?”

“We have the entire day ahead of us, dear,” said Camilla. She winked.

“Do you really think I want to spend all day in bed?”

“We’d be getting exercise if we did, at least.”

“Have you forgotten that I’m a virgin?”

“…Right. I’m sorry, Hinoka.”

“Heh. It’s alright,” said Hinoka. “I don’t want foreplay right now, anyway. My body’s dying for some release.”

“Then why bring it up?”

“Maybe I wanted to tease you a little.” In a moment of daring, Hinoka stuck her tongue out.

“You, teasing me? What a nice change of pace,” said Camilla. “Oh, before we begin, I need to ask: is your stomach feeling better?”

Hinoka pressed a hand against her stomach. There was a little pain; not that it would stop her. “I think so.”

Camilla grinned. She pat the bed. “Come on over here. You look like you want some help.”

Hinoka made her way over to the bed. She removed her pants before sitting down.

Putting a hand to her chest, Camilla sucked a breath back. “Your pants are on the floor already? That’s a shame. I was looking forward to removing them myself.”

“I can, uh, put them back on?”

“Don’t bother with it, darling.” Camilla stroked Hinoka’s leg. “The pants aren’t important. Now, do you want me to prepare you or dive right into it?”

“Dive right in? What do you—”

Before she could react, Camilla had begun to stroke between Hinoka’s legs. She let a small gasp out.

Camilla smirked. “You’re even wetter than I thought. Too much for you?”

God almighty, Hinoka wanted Camilla to continue. “No, it’s good. Keep going.”

“If you say so.”

It wasn’t long before Camilla had begun to insert her fingers into Hinoka. Moaning loudly, Hinoka found herself thrusting into their touch, desperate for pleasure. The bed creaked beneath her. Having someone else pleasure her invigorated Hinoka. Knowing that the person doing so was potentially dangerous somehow made it even more exciting. The more Camilla put in, the more Hinoka wanted to scream.

With a shriek, Hinoka climaxed. Tension she never knew she had was instantly released, causing her to lean back.

“How was your first time, dear?”

Panting heavily, Hinoka could only nod. Her pussy throbbed, as if it still hadn’t been satisfied enough.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Y-Y—” Hinoka took a moment to regain speech. “Yes. Let me do you now.”

“Already? Now that’s what I call a fast turnaround,” said Camilla.

“Can I do you or not?”

“Ah, ah, ah! You can do me after I do you one more time.” Camilla lied next to Hinoka and kissed her. “Consider it as thanks for putting up with me today.”

“I…I want to touch you, though,” said Hinoka.

“Like I said, we have all day.” Camilla rolled on top of Hinoka. “This time I’ll make sure to use more than my fingers."

With Camilla’s half-naked body directly on top of her, how could she say no? “Ugh, fine. But only if you give me foreplay this time.”

“That can be arranged,” said Camilla. She removed herself from Hinoka and picked up a sheet of latex from the nightstand. “Whether we have foreplay or not, we should probably be using this.”

“What the hell is that?”

“It’s a dental dam. Protection.”

Hinoka shot an incredulous look. “ _That_ can be used as protection?”

“Oh, Hinoka. You’ve got so much to learn.”

“Whatever. At least you’re here to teach me.” Hinoka kicked Camilla’s leg. “Are we gonna do this or not? I’m ready when you are.”

Camilla grinned devilishly as she reached for the hem of Hinoka’s shirt. “Any requests?”

“Go rough. I dare you.”

~~~~~~~~~

Leo, Niles, and Elise entered the house and sat down at the kitchen table.

“You should’ve seen it, Leo! The concert was sooo good! I wish I could see Aqours live for real,” said Elise. “Thrilling One Way was especially good!”

“I think I’d prefer a different kind of thrilling one way,” said Niles. He smirked.

Leo brought a hand to his face. “Cut it out, Niles.”

“Yeah! My song is much better than whatever _you_ mean,” said Elise. “Anyway, what did you guys want to tell me?”

“Well, Elise…” Reaching for Niles’s hand, Leo swallowed. “The truth is, Niles and I are—”

“Wait! Do you hear that?” Elise looked at the ceiling.

A faint creaking noise came from above.

Leo glanced over at the front door. Camilla’s shoes were next to it, alongside an unfamiliar pair. “It must be our sister. With someone else.”

Niles cackled. “Oh, _yes_. Go, Camilla! Show ‘em who’s boss!”

“Please don’t do that.”

They sat in an awkward silence until the creaking stopped.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hinoka and Camilla lay on the bed, both completely naked. They were sticky with sweat and other bodily fluids.

“Phew…I don’t think I’ve ever had a workout that intense,” said Hinoka.

Pressing herself against Hinoka’s back, Camilla hummed. “Funny you say that. I don’t think I’ve ever had sex with someone as athletic as you before. Aside from your Wolverine fingernails, that was wonderful. Thank you, Hinoka.”

“No…problem?” Hinoka entwined her arms with Camilla’s. “What do you mean, aside from my Wolverine nails? My nails are ridiculously short!”

“They may be short, but they’ve got edge,” said Camilla, laughing. “You’re lucky I cut my nails the other day. Otherwise, you’d be on the end of my own Wolverine nails. And trust me, it’d hurt far more.”

“Different, yet similar at the same time, huh…” Hinoka let out a contented sigh. She had never imagined that cuddling up with a larger, sweaty woman after partaking in primal activities would feel so good. Even though she had rebuked Camilla’s suggestion of having sex all day, Hinoka could definitely stay like this for the whole day.

All of her fears and worries seemed to have vanished.

“I, for one, am glad that we have sexual chemistry,” said Camilla. “It’s harder to find than you may realise.”

“Is it, now?” Hinoka kissed Camilla’s hand. “That reminds me, you never did tell me what you meant by having similar interests being detrimental sometimes.”

“Let’s not think about that right now. After all, we’re relaxing now. We’ve got time, don’t we? At least until school is over.”

“Yeah…okay,” said Hinoka. Despite being the one to initiate it, a serious topic was the last thing Hinoka wanted to think about at the moment. “Speaking of which, we should have that study session you wanted to have soon.”

“I agree. I wonder how much we’ll really be able to get done, though.” Camilla slapped Hinoka’s thigh.

“Ouch! Why’d you do that?”

“Because you smell like sweat,” said Camilla.

Hinoka groaned. “We did just fuck. Of course we’re going to be a bit stinky.”

“Not only that, but you also had a workout before this. Don’t you think we should shower?”

“That might not be a bad idea.”

Camilla practically leapt from her position on the bed, leaving Hinoka in the cold.

“Yikes! Why’d you jump up so fast?” Hinoka wrapped her arms around herself.

“Sorry, darling. I don’t mean to make you freeze. The faster you follow, the faster you’ll get into a nice, hot shower.” With that, Camilla left the room and went down the hall.

Hinoka smiled. What a day it had been. What a woman Camilla was. Thinking about how Camilla knew how to pleasure another woman was not something Hinoka had expected to happen. All the logic she’d tried to hold onto before having sex was out the window now. Maybe she’d regret it later.

For now, spending time with Camilla was all she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda forgot how to write;; Here's hoping that this chapter was worth the wait! I may have to fix this up a bit in the future, seeing that it's quite late and I need to be awake in a few hours. 
> 
> Thank you so much to those of you who waited patiently. I am also so, so sorry to everyone who expected this story to be completely lighthearted. I did too, tbh. But after making what I thought was kind of a stupid decision at the end of the last chapter (I could've easily devised a much more innocent excuse to tear them apart), I realised that doing something like that kind of pushes the story in a different direction. At least, if I want it to be believable. I found myself lacking confidence, which is the primary reason I failed to update. I wrote about 80% of this chapter within the past month, hoping to have it out at the start of June. Obviously that didn't work out, but it's here now, and I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> There will be one more proper chapter, and after that there'll be an epilogue. My goal is to have this story completely wrapped up by the end of the month, or at least by the end of the summer if that somehow fails.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading.
> 
> EDIT 16/09/2017: yeah no I'm not gonanb finish this within 5 or 6 days or however it is to the end of summer, don't listen to anything I have to say about this story tbh aside from the fact that it's getting done eventually


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